


On The Other Side Of The Camera

by QueenGeekRose



Series: YouTuber  Fictions [1]
Category: Kids w/ Problems RPF, Lordminion777 - Fandom, Muyskerm - Fandom, jacksepticeye, markiplier - Fandom, youtube - Fandom
Genre: AU where Jack is single, Babies, Best Friends, CHAPTER 56 Trigger warnings, Chapter 56!!, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Jack is a Tease, Light Angst, Long, M/M, Mark Is A Flirt, Mentions of extreme bullying, Mentions of suicide attempt, Multi, POV Female Character, Panic Attacks, Plot Twists, Polyamory, Reader-Insert, Reader-Interactive, Series, Slow Build, Surprise Ending, To Be Continued, lots and lots of babies, mentions of mental abuse, mentions of past physical abuse, mentions of self harm, slightly OOC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-28
Updated: 2016-08-25
Packaged: 2018-07-10 16:43:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 70
Words: 276,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6996253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenGeekRose/pseuds/QueenGeekRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You have just been hired to act as editor and camera person for a new filming project.  You show up for your first day and are introduced to the team of camera operators, editors, sound and light people, and the other behind-the-scenes crew you will be working with.  But who is being filmed?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Starting Your New Job

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: There will be cursing. I this will turn smutty eventually, but the rating will change when it does. 
> 
> You (the reader) will be referred to as "I" for this story. Your best friends will be Lia and Greg (because I can and I want to keep things simple).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [y/h/c] is your hair color  
> [y/n] is ALWAYS your name  
> [y/e/c] is your eye color

I woke up this morning super excited. I knew it was going to be an amazing day. I had just moved into my new apartment in Los Angeles and today was the start of my new job. I felt really lucky to get this job, especially since it was the reason I was able to move here in the first place. My last job as a web designer, vlogger, and videographer for a wedding company in Washington DC had paid well enough for me to set aside a decent "rainy day" fund, which I was steadfastly refusing to touch unless things got dire, but when I was offered this job by one of the friends of a former client, I couldn't pass it up. Even if there was a lot of unanswered questions and mystery attached to the project. So far all I knew about this job was; (1) I was being hired based on past experience with no interview, phone contact, or talking to whoever had hired me, (2) this was a long term project with several people involved, and (3) I was being very well paid, including a nice signing bonus to get me to move out here. I was actually okay with all this because I had just been through a rather bad breakup and needed a change of scenery anyway. Plus, my mysterious boss helped (by which I mean took care of most of the details for me) get this apartment and made sure it would be ready for me a week before I was to report for work. I just hoped that I could live up to the expectations the employer had of me. I am a hard worker, but even so I was nervous. As I looked over at the alarm clock I groaned. It was only 6 AM. I didn't need to report to work until 11. Even with a shower, eating, and factoring in my commute I could have slept for another two hours. I decided to just get up and start getting ready early anyway. If I was early at to work, I could always get a look at the camera and setup or meet some coworkers. Plus I was planning on bringing my personal laptop, in case I wanted to use my software at first since I was most comfortable with it, and I could always play some games until they were ready for me. 

I got out of bed and headed over to my closet, careful selecting an outfit for the day. I wanted to look nice, but be able to move, and if needed, crawl around the sets. People were often surprised by how hard it was to find the perfect angle for certain shots and were we camera people had to go to get them. I opted for a pair of dressier dark jeans, a lacy grey camisole top, and a matching blouse. I left the clothes hanging from a chair near the door and headed down the hall to the bathroom. As I took my shower, I wondered, for what seemed like the millionth time, who or what this project was that I was to be filming. I hoped it would be interesting for me, after all it would make my job a lot easier if I could enjoy the subject matter, or at least fake interest. Hopefully it would not be a documentary on flowers or something. Don't get me wrong, I love flowers and plants, but they are not very exciting to film. After I had showered and washed my hair, I got out of the shower and wrapped a bath sheet around myself, focusing my attention on my mop of unruly hair. I had been letting it grow out a little from the extremely short cut I had gotten at my ex-boyfriend's insistence. It was now an attractive shoulder-length bob, with a few streaks of blue, green, red, and purple throughout the natural [y/h/c] color. My ex hated colored hair, so that too was a small act of rebellion after he cheated on me and dumped me. Plus everyone I met seemed to think it looked pretty awesome, even my grandparents. Because my hair had always been very thick, I had long ago learned the best way to deal with tangles (the bane of my existence sometimes!) was to towel a bunch of leave in conditioner in as I dried it. I then brushed everything and blow dried my hair. I opted for a simple ponytail today to make sure my hair didn't get in my way, and walked down the hall to get dressed. After dressing, I grabbed a pair of grey ballet flat -style shoes and headed to the kitchen to find some breakfast. A quick meal later, and I was ready to head off to my first day at work. I grabbed my keys, purse, and laptop bag and headed out the door.

Traffic wasn't too bad, since I was not driving in during rush hour, so it only took me about half an hour to get to the building I had been told to report to. It was now 9:15, so I felt like that was too early. I looked around the neighborhood as I exited my car. Across the street was a small cafe, next to a bookstore. I headed over to grab a cup of tea and kill some time. When I walked in the smell of fresh baked goodies and coffee hit me like a physical blow, but it was so pleasant a smell, I didn't mind. I decided to get a box of assorted pastries for later along with my tea. When I got up to the counter, I asked what kinds of tea they had. Apparently, tea was very popular here, so they had close to fifteen different varieties. I opted for a chocolate chai tea latte and ordered a dozen of the heavenly smelling croissants I saw behind the counter. After I paid, I realized there was no where to sit inside the cafe right now, so I took my goodies out to my car, grabbed my laptop, purse, and drink and headed over to work. I decided it would probably be okay to be early and like I had planned earlier, I could always just sit and play games until they needed me. 

As luck would have it, I was the first person to arrive for the day. Since I didn't have a key card or way to get in yet, the receptionist let me in and gave me the building wifi password. She had been told I was coming, so as soon as I showed her my ID she took me right to the floor with the offices I was going to be working near. I explored the layout of the office, being careful not to lock myself out. We were going to have the entire second floor of the building to ourselves, from the looks of things. There were four soundproof rooms, a small group of offices, not much bigger than cubicles, at one end of a hallway, a larger stage area, a communal lounge, bathrooms, a kitchen, and a few larger offices away from the noisier areas. This looked like a great setup. I walked over to the lounge area and found a comfortable looking chair near a wall outlet, plugged in your laptop, put my headphones on and loaded up my Steam account. It was time to get my game on. As I sat playing Slime Rancher, time marched slowly on. I didn't notice. I also didn't notice as people began to arrive. I finally looked up and saw it was 10:55 and jumped slightly at how many people were now here. Everyone seemed to be milling about, waiting for someone or something to happen. I saved my game and put my computer to sleep before getting up from the chair and introducing myself to the people closest to me. 

After everyone introduced themselves to each other, I asked if anyone knew what we were going to be working on. One of the men, an audio technician by the name of Alex, laughed and said "No. There has been a real air of secrecy on this project. I haven't been able to get answers out of anyone." Just then the door opened and in walked a group of people. I was stunned. I recognized most of them right away! It was Markiplier, JackSepticEye, LordMinion777, and Muyskerm (or Mark, Jack, Bob and Wade as they called each other), two other men, and a woman. The woman stepped forward quickly and introduced herself as our boss, Vicki. Jack immediately made a joke about him being the boss around here, which made me laugh, as did a few other people. I was feeling a little starstruck as Vicki explained that we had been hired as the crew to help the guys (as she was calling the YouTubers) film a new project. We would also be helping them film and edit their regular videos, so they had more time for the project. Different people would focus on different things, but everyone would be working on the larger project together. She then asked everyone to follow her on a quick tour of the office, explaining who would be using what offices, who got which dedicated soundproof studio, and who would be in the larger offices in the back. She then gestured to the two men who looked familiar to me, but I didn't quite recognize and told us they would explain the rest. As they stepped forward, I finally realized who they were. It was Matt and Ryan, Mark's two friends and roommates! Matt stepped forward to explain what we would all be working on.


	2. Getting To Know You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Work begins in earnest. Getting to know your YouTube favorites is fun. Life is good.

As Matt began to explain the details of the secret project, I couldn't help but stare at the group of YouTubers. Most of my favorite celebrities were here. This was amazing! And to think, I was going to get to work with them everyday. Why, it's practically a dream come true. I had been a fan of both Jack and Mark for a long time. I had started watching Bob and Wade because of their collabs with Mark and Jack. I watched Kids With Problems (Matt and Ryan's channel). I was trying desperately to pay attention and not fan-girl like an idiot when I realized I had missed nearly everything Matt had just said. I snapped my attention back to reality just in time to hear Matt say "Does anyone have any questions before we start working?" Now was my chance, if I didn't mind sounding like an idiot on my first day, in front of my new coworkers, boss, and idols. Crap. I lowered my head and kept my mouth shut. Fortunately, one of my new coworkers rushed in just then and apologized for being late. Apparently, building security had not let him in and he had been stuck waiting in the parking lot for over an hour with no way to contact anyone because he didn't have a working cell phone. He introduced himself as Jake, and Matt gave a condensed version of the speech I had zoned out during, allowing me to catch up without anyone knowing about my spacey mental rambling. I heaved a mental sigh and made a vow to focus more in the future.

After Matt finished explaining the project again (it was a television show!), everyone headed to the stage area to began the setup of the equipment. I was going to be in charge of the cameras, so I waited while the sound and lights were setup and adjusted before I did a few test shots and angle sweeps. Since I was the filming "expert" here, I wasn't actually operating any of the cameras, but watching the monitors and directing when and where to focus and zoom. I would also be doing editing and camera work for everyone's YouTube videos. I would be working very closely with Matt especially, since he has been Mark's editor for a while, and knew what Mark usually wanted. Jack, Bob, and Wade would be working with me directly as well, since they had never had an editor before. I headed back to the offices and noticed the new nameplates that had been made for everyone had been installed on about half the offices. I smiled to myself at how professional it looked and noticed that my name wasn't on any of the smaller cubicle type offices. I looked at the names on the offices without the nameplates (they still had nameplates on the desks inside) and was slightly confused. My name wasn't on any of them. I walked back to my boss's office to ask her where I was supposed to work when I saw my name on one of the larger rear offices. My office was in the corner between Matt and Jack and across from Mark's office. Wow. I didn't expect to be in what felt like the VIP offices! I turned around to gather my things and nearly ran directly into Wade. I profusely apologized, blushing like crazy, but he just waved it off. I walked back to the lounge, grabbed my things, and headed into my new office. 

What was the first thing I did when I got to my office? I looked around, closed the door behind me, set my purse and laptop down, and spun in a little circle waving my arms out and squealing with excitement. As quickly as I could I then tried to regain some sense of decorum, when there was an immediate knock on the door. I made sure my clothes were smoothed down and walked over and opened the door. It was my boss! She was holding a packet of paperwork, a small bag, and a badge. I let her in and she started explaining that I was to be the head editor as well as head of camera operations. Because of that I was to be given a building key, an access badge, a special parking permit, this larger office, any equipment I deemed necessary, and a large budget. I would be working strange and probably long hours, so I would have a mini fridge and coffee maker, which had been provided and were setup for me in the corner. I was to submit orders for restocking to the secretary, who would make sure things got ordered and put away for me. The company would also be supplying my office with snacks, salads, and sandwiches which would be restocked the same way. Vicki then smiled at me and handed me the little bag. She told me it was a welcome to the office present and asked me to wait to open it until after she left. She told me our employer was the sister of one of the brides I had done a wedding for a few months ago and she was so impressed with the wedding video and website I had made that she had informed Vicki I was to be given free reign and all the support I needed. Vicki then handed me the new employee packet, my building key, personal access badge, and a small key fob with the company logo on one side. The key fob had a smart chip that gave me access to everything on our floor of the building and special elevator access. I thanked her and filled out the paperwork, handing it back to her as she was getting up to leave. When she left, I closed the door again and had a proper look around my new office. It was larger than I expected for sure, with two couches tha face each other and a small coffee table between them in one corner, a large, L-shaped desk with three monitors and state-of-the-art desktop in another corner. The mini fridge and coffee maker were placed in between , allowing anyone to reach them from either spot without difficulty. I noticed there was also a very comfy looking recliner tucked behind the office door and a small bathroom. Awesome! I grabbed my purse and hung it on the coat rack and moved my laptop over to the desk. After I got over there, I realized I should probably open my door, so people would know I was there and friendly. As I did so, Matt popped his head out of his office and waved. I waved back and headed back over to my desk to look at what my computer had to offer. 

The computer was truly an impressive machine. It had all the software I would need, a very high end graphics card, a ton of memory, and was super fast. I grinned happily. I could work with this. Before I had stopped grinning, a head popped through my door. It was Mark! He came in and I started to jump to my feet. He waved me back to my chair, saying "I just wanted to come introduce myself. I'm Mark and I understand we will be working rather closely together." I nodded and gave him my name. He grinned and said "I saw that on the door. So tell me what were you smiling so big about when I looked in. You have an absolutely gorgeous smile, by the way." 

I blushed brightly and stammered out "I w-was impressed with my computer. It is a pretty amazing beast. I can definitely get a ton of work done with it. I had been a little afraid I was going to have to make due with a sub-par machine and use my personal computer for most of my work. I'm just glad I was wrong." 

Mark grinned. "You were geeking out then. Excellent! Now come meet the rest of the guys." Mark turned around and then stopped. He turned back to me. "Why do you get a mini fridge and coffee maker in your office and I don't?" he asked me rather plaintively. 

I smirked at him and said "I guess the company likes me better than you." I then stuck my tongue out at him and walked out the door past him. He gave a rather startled bark of laughter and followed me out. He was still chuckling as he introduced me to the rest of his YouTube friends. 

After I was introduced to Jack, Bob, Wade, Matt, and Ryan, we all started chatting. I invited them all into my office, since I had the couches and snacks, and they all followed me in. Jack asked why he didn't have snacks in his office, to which I gave the same sassy answer I had given Mark about the mini fridge and coffee maker. Everyone laughed and I felt completely at ease for the first time since seeing who I would be working with. After several minutes, talk turned to work, and Matt asked me what my background was. As I explained about what I had been doing, I brought up some of the videos, vlogs, and websites I had created for my last jobs and showed them to the group. I also showed them links to the streaming videos I had done for a few of the weddings and a charity event that I had done just last month. Matt looked the videos over carefully and then whistled appreciatively. He informed me that these were all excellent and asked where I had gone to school for all of this. I once again blushed (it felt like the millionth time that day) and told him I had actually gone to school for something else completely unrelated, but this was where my true calling seemed to be. Well, that and video games. All the guys chuckled at that and Jack nodded a bit extra. He then said "I completely understand what ye mean. After all, I went to school for hotel management," 

I looked over at him and said "Yeah, I know. I watch your channel." Jack smirked and raised an eyebrow. I nodded and said "Actually, I watch all your channels." This produced a small cheer.

Bob then commented "Wow. You aren't even acting like a crazed fan girl! That's a nice change of pace for Jack and Mark, I'm sure." He and Wade chuckled.

I blushed yet again, confessing my initial reaction to seeing them and how I had spaced out when Matt was first explaining the project. That got a roomful of laughs. Just then, my stomach growled loudly, making everyone laugh again. I got up and walked over to the mini fridge and asked everyone what kinds of sandwich or salad they wanted and we all settled in for a getting to know you lunch and gaming session in the communal lounge (there was a TV and several gaming consoles set up there, which made more sense to me now than it had when I first saw them this morning). 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for a somewhat of a short filler chapter. Things should pick up a bit next chapter. If anyone has any suggestions/ requests for other people or ideas they want to see, feel free to add a comment. 
> 
> Thank you for all the views and Kudos so far! This is only my third story on the web (and the second YouTuber fiction I have ever written!) and it means a lot to me that people are enjoying it.
> 
> Have a fabulous day! :)


	3. My Crew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting to know the YouTuber's better, and meeting your crew.

As soon as the group emerged from my office and headed to the communal lounge, several of my new coworkers came over to introduce themselves to the YouTubers. One of the audio techs, George, turned and asked me how I got to be so lucky, working directly with his heroes. I smiled and told him exactly what my job entailed, describing all the different things I would be doing and in charge of, watching his eyes get bigger and bigger as the list continued on. George's mouth formed a little "o" of surprise and shook his head. "Never mind. I had no idea any of us were going to have that much too do. I'm glad I don't have all that stuff to do. I like having a life outside of work!" 

As my coworkers drifted in and out of the lounge, I settled in to eat. At first the YouTubers decide to game, with me just watching, playing Mario Kart and Smash Brothers Brawl, but my obvious knowledge and smart ass remarks had them cracking up before long and they added me to the game. After a few rounds, all of us were tired of these games, but those are the only ones with multiplayer out right now. I got up and walked over to the cupboard by the game cabinet, hoping to find a glass to get some water or a clean cup for tea, but what I found was board games. Lots and lots of board games. And a few card games. I told Jack, who was standing the closest to me, and he immediately called out to the others, who all crowded around and called out suggestions of what we would be playing. I excused myself, to go get a drink while they decided. As I walked back to my office, I peeked my head in the boss's office and asked "What exactly are we supposed to be getting done today, if anything? I don't want to get behind, but it seems like there is nothing scheduled yet." Vicki nodded and said she would email me a detailed schedule in a bit. I walked in my office and grabbed a bottle of iced tea and made a note for the secretary to make sure tea and iced tea were kept in plentiful supply for me, and added the types of drinks the guys had gotten earlier to the list as well. Might as well make sure people had what they liked. I had a feeling that everyone would be spending a lot of time in my office, between brainstorming sessions and editing. I guessed that was why I had the mini fridge and coffee machine too.

When I got back to the lounge, I saw everyone was playing Cards Against Humanity. I walked over to join them. It was a lot of fun, and everyone seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves. Various people from all over the office drifted over to watch or play a hand or two before heading back to their desks to check over equipment, get the computer setup just the way they wanted it, or what ever else they felt like they needed to do for tomorrow. I excused myself for nearly an hour to go over my computer setup before I was satisfied. I checked my email and saw the message from Vicki with the project timeline and some deadlines. I examined it closely, noting the schedule, while not grueling, was certainly not an easy one. Once I was familiar with it, I closed my email, writing myself a note about tomorrow's filming. Jack and Mark were both scheduled to have recording sessions with me and the afternoon was entirely set aside for editing with them and Matt, so I needed to find out what they were going to want to film and if they needed any additional equipment setup today for it. I once again grabbed an armload of drinks and snacks and headed for the lounge down the hall. 

Wade had just won a game and was doing a victory dance when I walked in. Bob saw me first and called out "Hi! We were starting to wonder if you abandoned us." I shook my head and said with mock seriousness "Someone around here needed to check on work schedules. Jack, you and Mark are filming videos tomorrow for your channels with me. What do you need setup? What games are you thinking about playing? Mark, do you guys need anything in particular ready ahead of time? I will have to get things setup soon so we can start when everyone is here tomorrow." I turned slightly, facing Matt "I am working with you in the afternoon tomorrow to edit, so is there anything I should have ready for that? Jack and Mark will be there too, according to the schedule I got, but if I can have things streamlined, we might not have to spend all day in edit hell." 

Matt laughed and replied "No, Mark usually makes my job pretty easy. I use the software that's already on the computers (the same brand I preferred for video editing actually!) and with two of us it should be fine. Thanks for asking."

Jack and Mark had been quietly talking to each other during this brief exchange. Suddenly Mark spoke up. "Hey [y/n]. What time do you usually get here? we can be here whenever works for you. Since you have to film both of us, and there is only one of you, we will have to share, instead of simultaneously recording, right?"

I shook my head, "Not exactly. I will be setting up and starting the recording, but after that, unless you need me in there for something or really object to it, I will be in the booth between the two studios, monitoring both of you. I will only need about 10 minutes to get each of you set up, so both of you can record at the same time. Oh, and by the way, the studios are setup to look like your home recording setups, so hopefully the viewers won't notice much, if any, difference. I can get here anytime after eight. What time works best for you guys?"

Jack looked over at me and smirked. "I can be here at nine. What about you Mark? And maybe we can take turns recording. I don't wanna share." Mark nodded agreement that that was fine as he started typing something on his phone. I nodded as well and everyone settled back into the game. I made a mental note to bring in some breakfast from the cafe across the street as a surprise. After a few minutes, I started to feel restless, so I got up and walked around the office, stopping at the soundproof recording studios. Someone had grabbed some masking tape and a marker and made label's on the door that said "Jack's studio" and "Mark's Studio". I grinned and laughed as I added labels to the other rooms "Bob and Wade Record here!" and "Kids with Problems Room" putting the channel logos for Wade and Bob on their door and adding a drawing of Sam to Jack's door. I drew a Tiny Box Tim for Mark's door. Since the Kids with Problems channel didn't have a logo, per say, I made the black square with the bold white letters KWP. Hopefully, the guys would like these and it would make them smile at least a little. I then headed over to the smaller offices to see what the camera crew needed to do for studio setups of the main studio. We had about a week before we were to start filming the promos for the TV show, while the scripting was being thrashed out. I wanted to make sure everyone was up to speed and had what ever they needed. The camera crew, or "my" team, all had offices grouped together in a square. There were six team members, not including myself, so went up and knock on the first door. The name on the door was Andy and a young, energetic-looking man, probably in late teens or early twenties with light blonde hair, the beginnings of a beard, with a skinny, tallish build. I said hi and asked him to head back to my office and wait for me on one of the couches. He smiled and agreed as I headed over to the next office. I had decided that I wanted to meet everyone at once , getting to know all of them, and letting them get to know me before we started working together under deadline pressure. I also wanted to see who wanted to do what types of work and what everyone's strengths were so I could assign people to the best fit job. The office next to Andy's was assigned to Seth. I looked in, but there was no one in the room, so I headed to the third door in the group. Becca , the sole woman camera operator, had this office. When I poked my head around the corner and introduced myself, there were two people in the room. Apparently, Seth was in here talking to Becca. I greeted them both and asked them to go meet in my office, explaining where it was and asked them to wait on the couches. I explained that everyone else would be back in a few minutes. I crossed the hall and made the same sweep in reverse, stopping at the offices of the rest of the crew. Fred and Tom were the other cameramen and our special effects crew-person, Stacy, completed the team. I followed them back to my office after finding all of them chatting in Tom's office. 

Once everyone was settled in in my office, I made a more formal introduction. "Hello, I [y/n] and I will be the camera/ video team leader. If anyone has anything they need or any problems or questions, they should come to me. I have an open door policy, for the most part, but if my office door is actually closed, it means I am either in an editing session or not here. I will answer emails as soon as I can get to them, so unless it is something needs immediate attention from me, email would be the best way to reach me. I will be putting together a department contact list, so everyone needs to give me their phone number, address, and email address. I will send the list out to each of you by email tomorrow or the next day. Now does anyone have any questions? Anyone have a request for what they want to do, other than Stacy? Stacy will have plenty to do, as she is our only special effects person. Becca, Fred, Tom, Seth, and Andy, who would like to work with Kids with Problems? LordMinion777? Muyskerm? Let me know if you have a request. Markiplier and JackSepticEye have a different setup and I will be working with them directly. All of you will be working on the TV show and get to work with all the YouTubers then. Any questions? If not I think we are all done for the day and you can all go home early." When no one had any questions I gave them my email address and reminded them to send me their contact information as soon as possible. They left and I gathered my stuff up after looking at the clock, seeing it was 4:30, and heading over to tell Vicki about meeting my team. I headed home myself after that. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone is enjoying this! Thank you for all the kudos, and as always, of you want to see something in this story, or have a request, leave a comment.
> 
> I thought this chapter was going to be a little different than how it turned out, but I think this is going to be more of a novel than a short story. I had originally thought it would be about 10 chapters, but I am thinking now it's more likely going to be 30+, unless I run out of ideas or people don't like it. Let me know in the comments!
> 
> Have a fab day! :)


	4. My Neighbors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finally meet the neighbors. I wonder who they could be...
> 
> ;)

When I got out to my car, after what seemed like a really long day, I remembered the croissants were still in here. The whole car smelled heavenly from the aroma of the baked goods having been trapped in the warm car all day. Tomorrow, I would be parking in the underground garage parking, but today I had been out in the lot and the hot weather had made the inside of my car bake. The rush of heat out of my car was overwhelming, but the smell of the food was pure heaven. After I had let most of the heat escape, I carefully got in and drove home. My apartment had been arranged for by the company, as I said before, but I had made it feel like home after unpacking some of my stuff in the three days since I arrived here in LA. The furniture I had not had sent here, I was able to either buy or rent before I arrived, so I didn't feel like I was wandering around empty rooms or overcrowded with boxes everywhere. I had been pleasantly surprised how quickly I had gotten everything arranged. When I pulled up to the apartment building, I took a good look around, something I had failed to do much of since arriving. The building was about four stories tall, with each resident having a two story apartment and patio, and there were three apartments on each level. I was on the first floor, and had a dedicated parking spot for myself and up to three visitors, all fairly close to my door. Since I was in a corner apartment, I actually had more spaces than some people because I had the spot directly outside my door and the three on the end of the lot. The guest parking was also handy to my apartment, although I doubted I would be using it. After I had parked and put my apartment parking tag up, I got my box of baked goodies, my purse, my laptop bag, and my keys and unlocked my front door. I was home again. 

I quickly put the pastries in the kitchen, opening the box and snagging one on my way back into the living room. I sat down on my overstuffed blue leather couch, plugged my phone and my laptop in to charge, and grabbed the remote for my new TV. Electronics were my main weakness, and my TV was a large, wall-mounted, flat-screen smart TV. I was trying to decide between Netflix and playing a game through my Steam Link, when someone knocked on the door. I was startled to say the least! No one knew me here yet, and I had not yet ventured out to meet anyone from the apartment complex. I groaned as I got up to answer the door, peeking through the peephole as I went. All I could see was bright sunlight. I thought it might have been a delivery so I started unlocking the front door and opened it to find ... 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

...Bob, Wade, and Jack! Apparently, the company had rented the apartments next to mine for them, so they were my neighbors. Bob said his wife would be flying out soon, but he was lonely until she got there. Wade had asked his girlfriend to come out as well, once he knew where he would be living. Mark had offered to put the guys up in his apartment, but all of them had agreed it would be too long a project to stay at Mark's the whole time, and a hotel was too expensive. So Wade, Jack, and Bob had arranged to get apartments through the company, who was also arranging an apartment for me. Wade had noticed my car looked familiar and decided to see who it belonged to, having seen it in the parking lot a work all day. They were pleasantly surprised to see it was me. I smiled and asked them to come in. They all agreed. I gave them a quick tour of my apartment, showing them where the bathroom, kitchen, and living rooms were. Wade commented his apartment was set up the exact same way, and Bob nodded agreement. It turns out Bob was my upstairs neighbor. Wade said he was in the apartment next to Bob, leaving Jack as my next door neighbor. 

When the guys got to the living room, I asked them if they wanted to play some games or watch Netflix. They all chorused in with "GAMES!" I laughed and asked if anyone had a Steam controller at home. Jack said he has a couple and ran next door to grab them. While we waited for him to get back I dashed into the kitchen to put some of the croissants on a plate. I grabbed some sliced cheese and grapes, putting them on a second plate and carried them out to the living room. I asked Wade and Bob what they wanted to drink, offering tea, lemonade, water, or soda. Both of them opted for lemonade, so I brought out a tray with the pitcher of lemonade, the pitcher of tea, and glasses. After I set them down, I logged into Steam on my computer and turned on the Steam Link. I let Wade have the controller to browse the games, and I went back out and opened the door for Jack. He had the two controllers and a bag on one arm. He was typing something into his phone with his other hand. I waved him in, telling him that Wade was looking through my Steam account to pick a game, so if he wanted to help pick he better hurry. He smiled at me, winked, and said "I'll play any game ye want [y/n]." I blushed as we walked back into the living room.

Jack told us he had been texting Mark where we were, and Mark had said he was coming over. I shook my head. Didn't these guys spend enough time together at work? I asked Jack to have Mark bring another controller, knowing if he didn't people would either have to play as teams or take turns. Jack agreed and the text was sent. I noticed that Bob and Wade had grabbed some food, so I asked Jack what he wanted to drink. He looked at the tea and lemonade, before answering he would be having some tea with me. I poured him a glass and offered him some of the snacks. After Mark got here we would have to decide what to do about dinner. Jack grabbed a croissant and took a big bite. He looked down, seeming startled by something, and wolfed the rest down faster than I thought possible. I raised an eyebrow. "Jack, is everything okay?" 

He nodded, mumbling around bites "This is out of this world. Where did ye get these?" Bob and Wade grab one fro themselves, bit in, and chorused in with "Oh my god." and "Whoa. These are epic." 

I laughed and told them it was a secret. I had been planning to buy some treats for in the morning and I didn't want to reveal my source just yet. I told them if they were good then tomorrow I would get them something else from the same place and Wade said "We'll be good." in a little boy voice, making all of us crack up. We were still cracking up when I hear another knock on the door. When I opened it, expecting to see Mark, I was once again startled to meet some more neighbors. It was Dan Avidan, Suzy and Arin Hanson (from the Game Grumps). I am sure I looked quite startled as I greeted them, trying hard not to fan-girl and stay cool. I am not sure how successful I was though, but they were nice enough. They told me they were my neighbors, living in the last two apartments in the building, and they were trying to get to know the new people who moved in. I invited them in and told them the rest of their new neighbors were currently in my living room. I showed them in, giggling as greeting were exchanged. Suzy came over to me and whispered "I know you were trying not to geek out at us showing up, but you were hiding these guys in here?!? WHAT??" I giggled some more as I heard the guys explain how they ended up here. I asked Suzy to wait just a minute as the sound of my front door being knocked on was once again heard. I walked out and opened the door once again. Mark was leaning on the door frame, a controller in one hand and his phone in the other. He smiled at me as I let him in. I told him where the living room was and he headed in and stopped in the doorway, clearly startled by the other unexpected guests. Suzy looked over at me and laughed as she asked "Are you expecting any other famous YouTubers? PewDiePie perhaps?" Everyone laughed along as I shook my head, blushing a bright scarlet. 

Now that there were so many people, I decided that we would have to play on teams, because even with the added controllers we were still short. Then everyone started discussing what game to play. I leaned in and grabbed the now empty plates of snacks and refilled them, saving just one croissant out for myself for in the morning. I carried the food back out and asked Arin, Dan, Suzy, and Mark what they wanted to drink. I brought out the requested waters, glasses for tea and lemonade, and more ice before I sat down in the center of my couch. I sat up and looked around to make sure everyone was comfy, before collapsing back into the cushions again. Arin and Suzy were sitting on the loveseat, with Dan sitting on the beanbag chair at their feet. Bob and Wade were sitting in the two armchairs I had that faced the TV, and Mark and Jack were standing behind the couch, but since I was the only one sitting on it, there was plenty of room. I once more leaned forward and grabbed my drink, before settling in, balancing my drink on my lap as I dragged my feet up next to me on the cushion and leaning into the arm. Just then Jack came sailing over the back of the couch and landed next to me. I jumped a little before laughing with everyone else. Mark pouted and said "No fair. I wanted to sit next to [y/n]. How come Jack gets to and not me?" 

I looked up at him and laughed. "Nice face there. Why are you whining? I can scoot over, then both of you can sit next to me. Didn't you guys ever learn to share?" Mark grinned happily at that suggestion even as he shook his head and said "No, never." Bob and Wade both cracked up and agreed with that statement. I had Jack scoot over to the other cushion and I moved over as well, letting Mark sit on the edge cushion. After we were all arranged, I asked what game we were going to play. The group had decided on Ultimate Chicken Horse, so we then decided on how the controllers would be passed around, everyone selected a character, and play began. When I looked up at the clock next it was after 6:30, so asked what everyone wanted to get for dinner. Arin, Mark, Suzy, and Dan knew the local restaurants better than the rest of us, but they still were trying to get the name of the place where I got the pastries from out of me. I had steadfastly refused, my eyes twinkling with amusement. 

Eventually everyone agreed on pizza. Dan called it in and I got up to go get napkins and paper plates for everyone to eat off of. Suzy came in to help me and I thanked her. She told me it was no problem, but if I really wanted to thank her I could tell her where to buy those croissants. I laughed and finally caved, explaining where we were all working and how I discovered the cafe that morning. She laughed and said we might have an invasion of Grumps if she revealed where we were. I laughed along with her. 

After the pizza came, we decided to switch over to Netflix so the controllers wouldn't get all gooped up. We watched a bunch of different things until I nodded off and fell asleep on Jack's shoulder. I woke up to the sound of a camera clicking. I apologized to Jack, who laughed it off, saying it was fine. Suzy, Arin, and Dan all said they were going to go home, so I walked them out and thanked them for coming over. Suzy grinned and said I was a very gracious host, even when the guests weren't invited. I laughed and waved as the walked down the sidewalk to their doors. Dan seemed to be in the bottom apartment, I noticed. When I got back in the living room, Bob stood up and said he was going home to call Mandy. I walked him out as well. I was walking back in to sit down when Wade decided to leave. I dragged myself out to the front door again and said I would see him tomorrow. Jack and Mark were talking animatedly about something when I got back in the room with them. I collapsed down onto the loveseat. They looked up startled to notice everyone else had left. After a minute, they both looked at each other and said at exactly the same time "Well, I better go. See you tomorrow [y/n]." I groaned and started to get up, but they waved me back down. I wished them good bye and good night. I was exhausted. It took me nearly half an hour before I felt recovered enough to get up and clean up the stuff from dinner. I threw the trash away, loaded the glasses in the dishwasher, locked the front door, and turned off all the lights for the night. As I passed my laptop, I grabbed it and the power cord and headed off to bed.

I climbed into my big soft bed after I changed into a sleep shirt and shorts and plugged in my laptop. I planned to look at Tumblr for a few minutes and maybe Twitter before I fell asleep, but as soon as I hit the bed, I was asleep. Even the sounds of Jack and Mark continuing their discussion next door didn't register as anything but background noise to me with as tired as I was. Good thing I had set my alarm before I got in bed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter today. 
> 
> Do you like the neighbors? I do. I update the tags even. ;)
> 
> If you see a mistake, please let me know. My proofreading isn't always spot on. Thanks for reading.
> 
> Have a fab day! :)


	5. The Cafe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next day...

When I woke up the next morning it was early. I looked over at my clock. 6:30AM. Okay, not so bad, I decided. The alarm was set for 7. Not really enough time to go back to sleep. I got up, ran down to the kitchen and grabbed my leftover croissant, a cup of yogurt, and made myself some tea to wake up. As I ate at the island, I looked around. I had done a pretty good job of cleaning up after the party. I would take the trash out to the dumpster when I left this morning, but other than that, it was fairly clean. Good. I suspected I would have guests dropping by unexpectedly on quite a number of occasions now. When my water was hot, I steeped the tea in a to go cup, throwing out the teabag when it was done. I poured myself a second cup and steeped it, sipping carefully, as I took it upstairs to go get ready for work. I grabbed some clean clothes and took a quick shower. My hair was being an untameable mess, so I brushed it out and put it up in a simple ponytail. I decided if it got in my way, I would put on a hat or something later. I got dressed in jeans and a top in my favorite color, grabbed my matching shoes, and found my bag. I had opted for a tote bag today, instead of my purse, and I tucked a hat in the bag along with my other things. I grabbed my keys, downed the last of my first cup of tea, grabbed the to go cup and the trash, and headed out my door. It was 7:30. Just as I closed my door, Jack opened his. He called over to me a cheery good morning and waved his cup of coffee. I waved back and headed down to the dumpster with the trash. Jack jogged down his steps and ran over the meet me by my car. I looked surprised, but when he asked me for a ride in I understood. He would have to call someone to take him in otherwise. I nodded agreement before remembering I had been going to stop and pick up a treat for everyone today. Oh well, I guess Jack would find out about the cafe after all. 

As we drove away, I told him we were going to make a stop across the street from the office. I could either drop him off at work and go myself, or he could come with me. He asked what we were stopping for and I told him I wanted to get something for lunch later. He smirked and asked if it was the place the croissants came from. I blushed slightly and told him yes. He started bouncing in the seat and told me I better take him there right now! I laughed at his enthusiasm and agreed. We pulled up and I locked that car as we headed inside. I went up to the counter and ordered two dozen muffins of assorted varieties to share around the office, another chai latte, a delicious looking salad with grilled veggies and chicken for lunch, and a fruit parfait. Jack ordered a large black coffee, something for lunch, and a breakfast sandwich. As we waited for the food, he chatted with the cashier and complimented them on the food he had had yesterday. When our food came out, we headed back to my car and drove over to find my parking spot. It took me a few minutes to find the entrance to the underground lot, and another few to find my spot.

Once were parked and got our stuff inside, I put the muffins in my office with a note to help yourself to my crew and the YouTubers (or really anyone who came in, but they were the only ones I expected would stop by). I turned on the coffee maker and made a pot, shutting it off once it finished so the coffee wouldn't scorch, and put out a few mugs, some styrofoam cups, spoons, sugar, creamer, and sweetener. That way people could grab what they wanted or needed whether I was there or not. I then headed down the hall to "Jack's" recording booth and got him all set up. He recorded his first video for the day, a Twitter comments video, in about half an hour. He then switched over to record a gaming video and I walked over to my office to grab some paper to make notes for editing. Mark arrived just as I was about to head back to the booth. I greeted him, told him about the muffins and coffee and told him where I would be. He nodded and told me he would probably be ready to record in about forty-five minutes. I nodded and headed back to Jack's booth. Since he was already recording his second video, I sat in the booth between the two studios, making notes for later. Jack finished up just before Mark came in to start recording, so I asked Jack if he wanted to start editing in my office without me, or if he wanted to wait until I was ready. He told me he would start without me and went off with his laptop and portable hard drive, presumably to edit the videos for later. I turned to Mark. "What do you need me to do to help you?" I asked. 

He shook his head, answering "Nothing right now. Just make sure that the camera is picking things up correctly and the sound doesn't cut out. If something happens let me know, so I can stop, we can fix it, and start from where I was instead of wasting a whole bunch of time. It should be fairly smooth, but sometime the equipment fails." I nodded and sat down in the center booth, running sound and light checks. Everything looked good and I told him so. He thanked me and started recording.

Once Mark was done recording, I took the footage back to my office to start working on with him. Jack had finished with the reading comments video editing and was pouring himself a cup of coffee when I walked in. He smiled over at me asked how it went. I smiled back, answering it was fun. I had never seen this side of the YouTube experience, but I had edited wedding videos and a few large events, so I knew some of what to expect. Just as I was sitting down to start editing Matt came in. I happily handed over Mark's videos and went over to work with Jack for a while, not seeing the scowl that briefly appeared on Mark's face (my back was to him, so I couldn't have seen it), but I did see Jack stick his tongue out at Mark. I shook my head and told him to cut that out. Once his second video was edited, I stood up and stretched. I walked over to my computer and put the videos into the rendering software and set them to upload at the correct times. I then grabbed a muffin and a bottle of tea from the fridge and walked over to help with Mark's videos. We finished up right at lunchtime. I walked out to the office kitchen, grabbed my salad and parfait, and sat down to eat. I was starting to get a shoulder cramp from being leaned over a computer so much, I thought to myself. Meanwhile, Jack had grabbed his lunch and joined me. Mark hadn't brought anything to eat and was looking at the menus on the fridge, when I took pity on him. I told him about the cafe across the street. He looked at the food Jack and I had gotten and told me he would go there first thing tomorrow. He went back into my office and grabbed one of the sandwiches and a salad from the mini fridge in there and came back out to sit down with us. At some point Wade had come in to work, and he stopped by to ask how things were going. Mark started chatting with him about recording. When Ryan and Bob came out of the recording studio, they too joined the group. Matt and Ryan looked a little annoyed when Bob mentioned the get together last night, and asked why they hadn't been invited. I told them everyone just showed up on my doorstep, and next time someone would text them to include them. I looked at Mark and said "Don't they live in the same apartment as you? Why didn't you mention it to them when you left last night?" Everyone turned to look at him. His ears turned a little red and he mumbled that he didn't think of it. Matt and Ryan went over to him and punched him on the arm. 

After lunch, everyone headed in to the main studio to get a first look at the script. Tomorrow we would actually began rehearsing and recording, so today was blocked off for learning as much of the script as we could and getting everyone comfortable with the setup. The afternoon went by way too fast and soon it was time for everyone to go home. Wade offered Jack a ride home, since I was staying a little while longer to go over instructions with my crew for who would be doing what the next day. After I finished up, I went over to the secretary, Janelle, and asked her to start stocking food from the cafe across the street in my mini fridge. Everyone seemed to like it, as was evidenced by the fact that all of the muffins were gone and people had been asking repeatedly where they could buy them. I had a feeling our office was going to be quite the business boon for that cafe. I also asked Janelle to make sure there was plenty of iced tea and to buy a big bottle of creamer instead of the little packets. We could keep it in the mini fridge and it would save a lot of trash and money over time. She agreed and asked if there was anything else we needed. I thanked her and said I thought that would be all for now. I locked up my office and headed down to my car to drive home. I hoped tonight would be a quiet night. I was wiped out.

I decided to stop at the cafe and place an order for bagels for the next morning. I also picked up a dozen or so menus to put in the office and was informed that the cafe delivered if I was interested. I thanked the cashier and told her it would be great if they could deliver the bagels at 8 AM tomorrow to the building across the street and she wrote the directions down for where in the building to take the food carefully. I thanked her again and went out to my car in search of a local grocery store to restock my fridge. I found one a few blocks away, once I had looked using my handy car GPS. Once I drove to the market and parked, I noticed a Chinese food restaurant next door. I decided to order my dinner while I grabbed my groceries, so I headed in there first. I got enough to have leftovers for lunch and maybe a few nights dinner. I grabbed some extra menus as well when I saw they delivered as far as my apartment. I ran over to the store and did a speed shopping, finishing in under twenty minutes. I loaded the groceries into my car, ran back to the Chinese food restaurant, picked up my food, and drove home. I had just parked when I saw the curtain at Jack's apartment twitch. I grinned and walked around to the trunk of my car to start unloading the food. Jack was out his front door and calling over "Hey, [y/n] do you want some help?" He came over and started grabbing bags to carry before I even had a chance to say yes or no. I grabbed the Chinese food, the last bag of groceries, and unlocked my front door. Jack followed me in and set the groceries on the island in the kitchen and sat down. I started putting food away and Jack asked "Stocking up your fridge? Where did you go for groceries? I need to go buy some things too. And what smells so good?" 

I told Jack I had gotten Chinese food. I offered to share and told him where the grocery store was. He asked if I minded driving him out there the next time I went. I agreed and we sat down to eat. After we finished, I put the leftovers in the fridge and Jack headed home. He told me he needed to do some laundry and asked what time he should get up to get a ride in to work with me. I told him to be ready be 7:30. He agreed and left. I loaded the dishes in the dishwasher and headed upstairs to relax in bed with a book or my computer. It had been a long day. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone enjoyed this. Have a fab day! :)


	6. Balancing Act

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Work, the beginning of the project, and life outside of work. Can you really balance everything, or is work going to take over? If it does, will you mind? How much time can you really spend with the same people without going crazy?...

After the first few days of work, things settled into a routine. I would get up at 7, shower, grab a quick cup of tea, and head out the door. On most days Jack would be waiting for me to catch a ride in to work. I didn't mind driving him, and we would sing along with the radio or just chat about whatever as we drove in. Since he had uncovered the secret cafe, we would stop there before going in to work, get some breakfast if we were hungry, some coffee, and something for lunch to go. We would then head over to the office and park in my underground spot. taking the elevator up to our floor. We would each head into our offices to drop off whatever we didn't need, put our lunches in the fridge with our names on them, grab what we needed to record his videos for the morning, and get the videos recorded as early as we could. Some days, we got all of that done before Mark even got to the building at 9. As soon as Mark was ready, he would start recording as well. Once the routine was established, I was able to get Mark's recording sessions done while Jack did some editing. He always did the first few rough edits, and he did all the editing on many of his videos. After Mark was done in the soundproof room with the actual video recording, we would all head back to my office and work on video editing, with Matt joining us when he came in. We almost always finished by lunchtime and the videos were rendered and queued to load the next day at the usual times. So far none of the viewers had seemed to catch that either man was not recording in their usual space or notice any other differences.

Since mornings were completely tied up with editing, most of the rest of the crew didn't come in until later, unless we asked them too. Often they would work from 10 to 5 or 6 pm, whereas I was working from 8 to 8 most days. Everyone had Sundays off, and we didn't usually film on Saturdays, but I was often in the office working on whatever needed done around the TV show project whenever I could spare a moment. If it hadn't been for the fact that Mark and Jack seemed to be keeping a very close eye on me, I doubt I would have gone home at all many times. Jack needed rides home and back in to work though, so he would come find me and drag me out or Mark would order me to go home and relax. It was annoying, but kind of nice at the same time. Wade's girlfriend arrived a few weeks into filming, so he had a welcome party for her. When Bob's wife finally made it out, we had a party for her as well. Many nights everyone would end up at one of our apartments or at Dan's or Arin and Suzy's places and we would order food, hang out, and just have a good time. It was really nice, and I felt very included in the group, even though I was the one people knew the least. I would often be the first to leave, unless Dan, Jack, or Mark made me stay. I was definitely not used to this much socialization, so some days I had to decline and just spend some time on my own doing something else. Everyone seemed to understand, but Jack, Dan, and Mark wouldn't let me do that very often. They had all informed me that I clearly needed more of a social life and each of them had decided to be in charge of making it happen. It was sweet, kind of insulting, and slightly overbearing at times. At least I had friends who cared, is what I always thought when it got to me. 

Before I knew it, several months had past. Everyone was going to be taking a brief break from filming soon, while the YouTubers went to several conventions. I was both looking forward to it, and dreading it. It would be the first time since my break up that I would be alone with nothing major to do. I wondered if I should book a vacation, just so I wouldn't wallow in my apartment and feel lonely. I shook my head. It wasn't the same apartment I had lived in with my ex. I could handle a few weeks of down time. Besides, I would still have work to do, editing videos and making sure they were posting correctly. Maybe I could finally finish an art project too. 

As it turned out, none of those things were going to happen. Jack and Mark wanted me to come with them to work on videos, and the company wanted me to go to discuss the TV show at one of the conventions. I was really nervous at first, but had decided I would just have to calm down and enjoy myself. I had always wanted to go to a convention after all. Besides, I would know some people and it should be a lot of fun. Since this would be the first announcement of the show to fans, there was going to be a lot of hype and questions. I tried to get as much ready ahead of time as I could, so I didn't get flustered under pressure. Calm, cool, collected, and professional, that's how I wanted to appear. Not anxious, stuttering, and stupid, which is more how I felt when I heard the news. The closer the convention came, the more panicky I felt, to be perfectly honest. I was much more used to being behind the camera than in front of it. 

When it was finally time to leave for the convention, I nearly had a massive panic attack on the plane. I had never flown anywhere before and had no idea what it was like. The sensation of takeoff and the machinery rumble, coupled with my nerves about the convention put me over the edge. If Jack and Mark hadn't insisted on sitting right next to me, I would have been a screaming,sobbing, mess. As it was, I had to breathe into a paper bag to not pass out, and I nearly threw up. Jack and Mark were great at helping me through it though, talking to calm me down and soothing my nerves as much as they could. Jack held my hands and Mark rubbed my back as I leaned forward and did deep breathing exercises to try to calm down. Once I was calmed down, they convinced me to recline in the seat and try to go to sleep. I didn't think I would be able to, but I did lean back. Jack noticed my death grip on the arms of the seat and gently pried one of my hands loose. He leaned over and told me to rest my head on his shoulder and listen to his breathing. I did, calming down much more and eventually falling asleep. I awoke to Mark gently touching my shoulder and telling me we had landed. I got up from my seat with a groan, thanked them both for helping me, and apologized for being such a baby. I apologized again to Jack for sleeping on him, but he just grinned and told me not to worry about it. He then said he wished more pretty girls would sleep on his shoulders. Mark told me I would have to sleep on him on the way back to make up for leaving him alone the whole flight. I chuckled weakly for what felt like the first time in weeks. The boys grabbed out luggage as I found a bathroom to take care of business. When I came out, they were waiting for me. We then headed off to find a taxi to the hotel. Since everything had been arranged for us by the convention, we had two adjoining suites and a third room on the end. we had agreed that the suites would go to Mark and Jack and I would take the room at the end, since I had the least stuff and was not planning on being in my room much anyway. We threw out luggage into our rooms and met in Jack's suite to discuss plans for the duration of our stay, joined by Bob and Wade, who had gotten here on an earlier flight. I mostly stayed quiet while the guys planned, having never been to a convention like this before, only chiming in to compare what my scheduled duties were when asked. I was free during the panels they were doing, so they wanted me to be there. I agreed. I had a meet and greet event during one of their signings, but they were going to come for the main promotional panel. I was grateful, no one had been sure ahead of time if their schedules had been left clear for that event, even though they were to be the surprise guests. I was still a little nervous about speaking for the panel, but I knew the company was counting on me. Besides it couldn't be as bad as the plane ride here, right?

After all our plans had been made, we began discussing where to go for dinner. Just then there was a knock on the door. Jack looked startled for a moment before getting up to go see who it was. As he opened the door cautiously, he suddenly looked relieved. Outside the door were some of the guys YouTube friends. I was quickly introduced to CinnamonToastKen, or just Ken, as he told me to call him, and PewDiePie, or Felix, as he insisted. Apparently, I had been the topic of several online and text discussions between these YouTubers and Jack and Mark. I didn't know what to think. On one hand, I was flattered that they had mentioned me, but on another, it was somewhat strange to have famous people who had millions of people who knew who they were know who you were before you ever met them. Ken and Felix were staying at the same hotel, in fact they were in rooms just a little farther down the hall. It made me wonder who was in the room on the other side of my wall. It was starting to seem like the entire floor of the hotel was just dedicated to convention panelists! After a short discussion, we all decided one a restaurant to go to for dinner and Mark called to make sure there would be a table waiting for us. I excused myself to go take a shower and get ready to go. As I left Jack's suite, I looked up to see more familiar faces in the hall. Dan, Arin, and Suzy were standing just a few doors away. I smiled and waved to then. They walked over and I stuck my head back in Jack's suite and yelled for Mark not to finalized the reservation yet, because there would be more people coming. He looked up, grinned and asked the restaurant to hold for minute. He then covered the phone and asked how many more people would be joining us. Arin looked at Suzy and they said "Six, I think. Us, Danny, Holly, Ross, and Brian." I waved them into the room and once more slipped out into the hall. I unlocked my room, grabbed some fresh clothes and my shower stuff, and went into my tiny hotel bathroom for a fast shower. I had just finished up and gotten dressed when there was a soft knock on my door. I walked over and opened the door, continuing to dry my hair as I went. It was Dan. He said he had been sent over to collect me for dinner. i grinned and asked "Sent by whom?"

Dan smirked and relied "Actually, I won. Jack and Mark were competing to see see who would come over when someone suggest 'Rock, Paper, Scissors' and I volunteered to join in." 

I laughed and said "Oh, I bet they loved that. Who suggested it anyway?" I suspected I knew the answer. 

Dan laughed. "It may have been me. I can't remember exactly." I laughed with him. I asked him to wait just a couple of minutes for me to comb out my hair and grab my bag. He did, stepping into my room as he waited. He smiled and commented, "I'm your neighbor again, just on the other side of the wall." 

I smiled back at him, commenting "What did they book an entire floor for YouTubers and their entourage? Is everyone in this hotel here for the convention?" 

Dan laughed again and shook his head. "They booked Starbomb to perform. That means Brian, Arin, and I all had to get rooms and they just booked a batch of rooms. They also decided to have a Grump panel, so Ross needed a room. Holly and Suzy came because Arin and Ross were coming. But that hardly seems like a whole floor." At my giggle he then asked "What? Am I missing something?"

I nodded. "You missed the fact that besides Jack and Mark, Bob and Wade have rooms down the other hall. And the fact the Ken and Felix have rooms on this floor too. I'm not sure how many more rooms there even are after all of us. I think we have pretty much the whole floor." 

Dan laughed again. "I guess we know who to blame if the hall is too noisy at night. The good news is we can all hang out and play games in the hall all night if we want." I continued to try to brush my hair out as we talked. Dan noticed I was having trouble and made a couple of suggestions. I finally got the last of the tangles out and just it down, grabbing a hair tie and sticking it in my bag, in case it was too windy out or I just decided to put my hair up later. I grabbed the last few things I needed and slipped my sandals on, grabbing my key card, and motioning for Dan to come on. We left the room and joined back up with everyone else. A few new faces had joined the room as well. I saw Mandy and Molly, and three people who I assumed were Brian, Ross, and Holly. There were also two other women who I didn't recognize standing next to Ken and Felix. Once Dan and I had come in, several people cheered and Mark asked "Did you get lost Dan? What happened?"

Before Dan could say anything, I spoke up. "I needed to brush my hair and finish getting ready. Is that a problem?" Mark blushed a little and mumbled something I couldn't hear. Jack slapped him on the shoulder and laughed. After they settled down, we all headed out to walk to the restaurant. People moved out of the way when they saw the size of our group. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to get chapters out a little earlier in the day (instead of doing them after I go to bed at night). As always, if you see a mistake let me know so I can fix it. 
> 
> I will be away this weekend, so there may not be any updates until Monday or Tuesday. If I can push something out sooner, though, I will. 
> 
> Thanks for reading and I hope you are enjoying this! Have a fab day! :)


	7. So Conventional Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's convention time kiddies!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the punny chapter title. I just couldn't resist. XD

After a wonderful, and probably far too long for the staff's comfort, dinner, everyone walked back to the hotel. I ended up walking between Jack and Mark, with Dan turned around talking to us. I kept giggling when he walked into someone else, usually Arin, but he stayed turned around the whole way back. When we had all gotten into the lobby we decided to go up to one of the rooms and play some games for a while. After checking, we decided Jack and Mark had the biggest rooms (they had the only suites on the floor) so we would go up to one of their rooms. When they started arguing about who would host, I stepped in. "Guys, don't fight. We are here for four days. One of you host tonight, one tomorrow, and then flip it. " 

Holly laughed and piped up "But who will it be tonight?"

I rolled my eyes at her and muttered "So not helping." Everyone else just laughed. Finally Jack and Mark said they would have a contest to see who would host first. I groaned, but agreed to judge when they asked me. Why did I suddenly feel like the only grown up at a party of six to eight year olds? 

It took them the entire trip up the stairs to decide that they would have a race in the hall to see who was faster. I rolled my eyes again. Of course, a foot race. How likely is it someone is going to trip and hurt themselves, I wondered to myself. At least no one else was in the hallway to complain. Felix and Wade marked off a starting line, while the Grumps all lined the hall to "watch for cheating". Bob and Ken marked off the finish line. I stood at the just past the finish line to judge, in case it was close. Arin yelled out "Three, Two, One, GO!" And they started running. They were running as fast as they could, being careful not to run into anyone else in the hall or each other. I was glad to see that, at least! Suddenly, it seemed, they were right at the finish line. Seconds before it happened, I realized they didn't slow down at all to cross. They were going to run me down! Sure enough, BLAM! Jack and Mark hit me on either side, knocking me down. I hit my head on the floor with a loud thump. 

The next thing I knew, I was laying on a couch, with a cold cloth on my head. When I opened my eyes, there were way too many sets of eyes staring at me. It was absolutely silent in the room, until suddenly everyone else let out a loud sigh of relief. I put my hand up to feel the back of my head, and winced. I had a large, painful bump back there. Jack and Mark both began stammering out apologies as soon as they saw I was awake. I tried to sit up, but three sets of arms pushed me back down. I decided maybe they were right when the room swung crazily and my vision when grey for a few seconds. I finally just asked how long I had been out for. Suzy, biting her lip nervously, finally answered. "About five minutes. We weren't sure if we should take you to the hospital or not." 

I waited a moment and then said "Let me just rest here for a while. I should probably be okay then. If not I will have somebody take me to the doctor, okay?" Suzy nodded, as did everyone else. The room went silent again for a few minutes. Finally, I couldn't stand the quiet and asked who's room we were in.

Mark said, "Well, since I won, and my room was closer, we brought you to my suite." Jack was scowling hard at this statement. I looked back and forth between them and asked how Mark knew he won. He blushed and told me they based it off who had gone the farthest down the hall, since I was 'unavailable'. 

I looked at both of them and told Mark, "Um, you may have gone farther down the hall after, but Jack beat you over the finish line. I distinctly remember that before being crushed by flailing male bodies." Mark and Jack both blushed and ducked their heads for a second, before Jack's head sprang back up quickly.

He looked at me for a second then said "Wait. Are ye saying I won?" I nodded and he made a crowing noise until I grabbed my head, wincing from pain. He apologized and settled down. I suggested since we were all in Mark's room right now, why did we just stay here tonight and Jack would host the next two nights, with Mark then hosting the final night. Everyone agreed that was a good solution. Suzy got me a cup of tea and some pain killers and I watched as everyone got ready to play some card games. Since I was still feeling kind of dizzy, I stayed sitting on the couch, and Dan came over and sat next to me, telling me to lean ion his shoulder if I wanted. I smiled at him and thanked him, leaning over just enough to be comfy, but not to see his cards or let him see mine. Jack came over and sat on my other side, telling me to rest my legs over his lap, and finally picking them up and moving them when I didn't. Mark decided he wanted to be over here to, so he grabbed a bunch of cushions and sat on the floor in front of me. I was trapped, but I didn't really mind. Everyone settled into the game. It was a ton of fun and lasted until I fell asleep. I woke up when I felt Dan move and I looked at the time. I announced to everyone that I was declaring the evening over, reminding them we had panels and convention activities we had to go to in the morning, and we would all need some sleep before hand. I got up and went to my room, closing the door, and immediately grabbed my night clothes from my luggage. With a quick stop in the bathroom to wash up and brush my teeth, I crawled into bed. I set my alarm for the morning and fell asleep very quickly.

The next day, the Grumps had a panel in the morning and everyone else was invited to sit in the front row. Matt and Ryan had gotten there this morning, and joined us just as we were being seated. Since I had never been to a panel at all before, I wasn't sure what to expect. It was hilarious and a really good time. The front row was all VIP seats, so we were ushered in after the lights had dimmed, in hopes that people wouldn't disrupt the show to call out to anyone in the group, and we were escorted out before the lights had been fully brought back up after the show. Arin, Dan, and Barry were all waiting for us backstage, so we hung out with them for a little while before some of the staff came in to get the next group onstage. As we walked out, a mob of people called out, having spotted Mark, Jack, Arin and Dan. I turned to them, grinning, and commented maybe if they weren't so recognizable with their distinctive hair (Mark and Jack) and height (Arin and Dan) they could go places without being mobbed. They laughed as suddenly someone else recognized Wade. We all stopped long enough for a few pictures and autographs from anyone in the group who was asked, before heading back for the next event. I was starting to get nervous. My panel was this afternoon. 

When it was finally time for my panel, I went out to a completely empty stage. I went up to the podium in the center of the table we were to sit at and announced who I was and introduced the second panelist. First Matt, my fellow editor, who sat down in the seat on the farthest left. He then announced Ryan, who sat next to him. Ryan announced Mark, who sat between Ryan and I. After the cheers had died down, Jack was brought out. He waved and sat down on my other side. He brought out Bob next, who sat next to him. Bob then announced he was introducing the final panelist for this event, Wade. Wade waved at the crowd and sat down in the last chair, on the far right of the table. Since this was a promotional event, I had been placed in charge and I grabbed the first video teaser trailer I had created. I told the audience we had some exciting news to share and started the clip. After it was over, I opened the floor for a short Q and A session, promising a few more clips as we talked. The first question was directed at Mark, and he answered it quickly, before choosing the next person to answer from the crowd. Most of the questions went to the others, but a surprising number of them were about the show, or specifically for me. I was asked several times who I was dating, if I was dating Jack or Mark, who I would date, and what my job was. I answered the last one quickly, deflecting all questions about my personal life, much to the amusement to my fellow panelists. After we had showed all the clips and I got the signal from the staff, I wrapped the panel up, telling everyone to watch for the next show soon. There seemed to be an excited and happy buzz from the crowd as we were escorted out, and I was completely drained. Between the nerves beforehand and the unexpected questions about my personal life, I felt like I had been put through a wringer. Fortunately, I was done for the day with my part, so I could just hang out with the others or go back to my room if I needed to recover. I took a quick look at the schedule and decided that there was nothing else I needed to see today, so I told everyone I would see them back at the hotel. I asked Dan to come and get me when everyone had decided where to go for dinner. Jack overheard and asked why I asked Dan to do it. I raised an eyebrow at him, commenting, "Because the last time you and Mark tried to decide something I ended up knocked out cold." Jack groaned, blushed, and agreed Dan was the safer choice. Dan laughed at the exchange and told me he would make sure if he didn't get me Suzy or Arin would. I waved goodbye to everyone and went back to the hotel for a few minutes of quiet.

I had actually managed to find my ebook reader and was reading when someone knocked on my door. I got up and opened the door to find Suzy and Arin in the hall, I asked if they wanted to come in and they nodded. Suzy came in and sat down, smiling when she saw I had been reading. They told me everyone would be gathering for dinner in about ten minutes in Jack's suite, but they had wanted to give me a few minutes to get ready if I needed it. I thanked them, and told them I was actually ready this time. We all laughed as I grabbed my purse, ebook reader, which I had shut off, and key card. As we all entered Jack's suite, I noticed that Mandy and Molly were joining us tonight as well as Felix's girlfriend, Marzia, and Ken's fiancee, Mary. After I was introduced, I went over and started a quiet conversation with them. Eventually, everyone got to the room, and we left to go get food. After we ate all went back to Jack's suite and played games again. Tonight we opted for board games. It was a blast!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for how long this took. I was away for the weekend visiting my grandparents, and I didn't really get a chance to write. I will try to get an extra chapter or two out this week to make up for it, but no guarantees!
> 
> So I need some reader feedback. I had originally intended this work to be much shorter (like maybe 6 or 8 chapters tops) and have fewer YouTubers. I am planning to make this into a full book instead. So far it has been a ton of fun, but I have an idea and need opinions. Should Dan try to go for the reader as well (we would have a plot with three guys going for the reader) or should it be just Mark and Jack? Should Dan just become really close friends with the reader? Also, should this be a polyamory story? Please weigh in to help me decide, in the comments or send me an email bmlrose at gmail.com. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy this and have a Fab day! :)


	8. So Conventional Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The convention continues then you go back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, some hints of romance are starting to show. How will they be addressed, or will they? ;)

The second day of convention activities started pretty much like the previous one. I had my meet and greet with Matt and Ryan and several TV promoters and producers this morning while everyone else was busy with signings (Jack, Mark, Wade, and Bob), performances (Starbomb and the Grumps), or other panels (Ken and Felix). I didn't have a panel today, but Mark, Jack Bob, and Wade did. I was invited into the VIP seating, sitting with Dan, Arin, Suzy, Ken, Marzia, Mary, Molly, and Mandy. Felix was part of the panel too, I found out when the show started. It was a lot of fun and we were actually included in some of the panel, because the lights weren't down and people noticed us and had questions, so we were brought up on the stage too, during the last twenty minutes or so, for the questions session. No one really minded too much, except maybe Dan, Arin, and Suzy, who had been in panels and performances all morning, but they didn't say anything, just joined everyone else on stage. I made a sarcastic comment that the audience was just trying to get more people on the stage then in the audience, and everyone laughed. I ended up taking the final question of the afternoon (which I totally dodged, since it was a personal question about me) and Mark and Jack closed the panel. Everyone was tired, but happy with how the day had gone. We headed back to the hotel and decided that we were just going to order room service and play video games in Jack's suite, because we were too tired to deal with going out. All of us were tired enough at the end of the day to call an early evening, and I wasn't even the one to push for it. I was actually one of the last ones to leave. I had been having a really good time. 

The final day of the convention was a mass signing for the TV show promotion in the morning, and a free afternoon for all of us, so we decided to explore the convention together after we were done. I had thoughtfully packed some 'disguises' for Jack and Mark. Wade laughed when I asked if he or Bob would need them. When he explained thst while he did get recognized at events occasionally, it was rarely too disruptive, and Bob agreed. Jack and Mark were just too visible with their hair to blend in with the crowds easily, especially if they were standing next to the giants that are Bob and Wade. Matt and Ryan had already told me they rarely got recognized, and I wasn't too worried because I was a no one as far as YouTube went. I might have someone recognize an animation I did or art I had posted, but I was very careful not to let my identity out on the web, so it was very unlikely. Jack got a dragon mask and gloves from me and Mark claimed the unicorn mask. I laughed and told him I had another option if he wanted but he insisted this would be perfect for him. Wade made a joke about Mark being special, which we all laughed about, before we headed around the convention center to look at the various game demos and vendor tables. I stopped at one point and bought a few books from a favorite webcomic author, and the guys stopped to look at whatever they were interested in as well. I did have one person recognize me from the panel and another who asked me for a sketch because she had bought some of my artwork before. Wade and Bob got stopped a few times, but mostly we went around unnoticed. Mandy had joined us at the promotion and she was smiling and holding Bob's hand for most of the afternoon. Molly had dressed in a cosplay and joined us when we started wandering the convention, and I had put on a costume as well before we left, so about half our group was costumed. We looked like most of the other large groups wandering the halls. Around dinnertime I turned to everyone and asked how we wanted to spend the last evening everyone was here. Mark and Jack had been texting everyone else, so we could get quick answers from them as well. It took us about fifteen minutes to decide to go to the Mexican restaurant across from the convention center and then to Dave and Buster's for an epic game night. I looked at Mark and asked if that was okay instead of going back to his suite to hang out. He laughed and said it was his idea (it wasn't, but I let it slide, rolling my eyes to myself behind my mask). I then turned to everyone here and asked "Should we head over now and change on the way, or head to somewhere here and change? If we want to leave the costumes here to ship back to LA with our other stuff, it should be fine, and we have a room set aside for our stuff that should work to change in if we need to." Molly nodded, as did Jack and Mark. Jack grabbed one of my hands and started pulling me in the direction of the room. I laughed and asked him "Hungry?" He just growled and tugged my wrist harder. I laughed again and suddenly there was a tug on my other arm. Mark was pulling me along by the other hand. I looked over my shoulder to see Wade, Matt, Bob, and Ryan laughing. Mandy and Molly were exchanging looks. Just as we got to the room, Molly grabbed my shoulders and pulled me over to another corner, away from the guys. Mandy informed them they would have to wait over there while we got ready. Bob and Wade looked startled and a little embarrassed by this. Matt and Ryan just shrugged and sat down to wait. Mark and Jack took of the masks and pouted. I heard a "But we don't wanna wait" that I was fairly certain came from Jack.

I helped Molly out of part of her outfit, folding it neatly and placing it in a box labeled with her name and address. She helped me out of my costume as well, handing it back to me to take care of. Then she leaned in and whispered to me "[y/n], are you interested in Mark or Jack? It seems pretty clear that they are into you. Mandy and I just wanted to make sure you were aware of it." I looked at her with wide eyes. Jack and Mark were into me? Did I like them that way?

I thought for a minute before I responded "I really like them, as friends. I never really thought about them as anything else. I guess I ought to consider it. I hadn't noticed them being any flirtier with me than anyone else, to be honest. In the few months since I met them, they have become some of my closest male friends. Well, them and Dan, Arin, and Suzy. Since we all live so close together we do hang out an awful lot."

Molly nodded and said "We noticed. Dan seems interested in you too. Just be careful. We both saw it and just wanted to make sure you were aware of what was going on. We didn't want to lecture you or embarrass you in front of anyone either." I thanked her quietly as I finished packing the costumes. Just them we heard a yell "Hurry up, we are starving!" We grinned at each other and called back "Just a minute guys." We finished straightening out regular clothes and ran a brush through our hair, before stepping back into view and joining the others. We headed out of the convention hall and over to the restaurant were we saw the rest of the group waiting. We were given a separate dining room because of the size of our party, but we tried to be fairly courteous of the other diners and left a very good tip. We headed over to Dave and Busters afterward and ended up staying until far later than we had originally planned. When we finally left and hailed several taxis to haul us all back to the hotel, we said goodbyes to Felix, Ken, Mary, Marzia, Matt, Ryan, Holly, Ross, Brian, and Suzy. They were all leaving on flights before we were, making it hard to say our goodbyes in the morning. Dan and Arin were actually book on the same plane as Bob, Wade, Molly,Mandy, Mark, Jack, and I, so we agree to meet for breakfast before heading to the airport. I said my good nights to everyone and went into my room. I wanted to make sure I was all packed before morning and try to figure out a way to prevent a panic attack. 

It turned out I needn't have worried. I wasn't comfortable with flying, but most of my previous anxiety seemed to have been more about the convention than the actual flying. Mark actually seemed disappointed that I wouldn't have to cuddle into his shoulder for the whole flight, so I told him I would lean into him if I got sleepy. He perked up then. I grinned and then remembered what Molly had told me the previous evening. It seemed truer than I had realized. I looked up just in time to catch Dan pouting slightly. I shook my head and decided to focus on one thing at a time. Right now I just needed to get home in one piece without freaking out. Molly caught my eye and I nodded to her. She grinned and turned back to whatever she and Wade were talking about. I got out my ebook reader and started reading in my seat. After a little while l felt Mark lean over and put his head on my shoulder. I looked down at him and saw he had fallen asleep on me instead of me falling asleep on him. I turned to Jack to say something, before noticing he was nearly asleep as well. He looked at me pleadingly and I nodded. He smiled and leaned on my other side. Within a few minutes he was sound asleep as well. I returned to my book, but before long I heard a giggle and a camera snap. I looked up to see Bob, Wade, Mandy, and Molly all taking pictures of them sleeping on me. I raised my eyebrows at Molly and Mandy. they just giggled and mouthed "we'll send them to you too." I nodded and shifted my arms a little to get some circulation back in them. Mark and Jack were actually heavier than they looked, laying on me like this. When I went back to my book this time, I read for quite a while uninterrupted. The next time I looked up Dan was staring at all of us with an odd expression on his face. It vanished almost as soon as I saw it, but I thought it might be jealousy? He turned so he could talk to me and we chatted quietly for the rest of the flight home. Just before we landed, I ask Dan to help me wake Jack and Mark up. When I had tried to move my hand to shake them gently, I couldn't. My arms had fallen asleep. Dan grinned at me and told me it was my fault for letting it happen, but came over to help me by gently tapping first Mark then Jack on the shoulders until they woke up. They both looked at me and asked "Wha? Wa's goin on?" before rubbing sleepy eyes. I grinned and told them we were about to land and I needed my arms back, even if they were totally asleep right now. The immediate blush from both of them was adorable and I heard camera click again. Mark told me he would get the bags from the overhead compartment and Jack offered to get the rest of my bags from the luggage return. I decided to let them. 

Mandy came over to me after we got of the plane, while the guys were all getting luggage. She looked at me as just said "Smooth moves there." 

I looked over at her and said "Hey, I figured since I can't really use my arms right now because they fell asleep on me, they could fetch my luggage." She laughed and agreed. Meanwhile, Molly had called three taxis to haul us home, so we met the guys and headed out of the airport. I couldn't wait to get home! When we all started loading into the taxis, Mark made a face when he realized he would have to ride home alone. Before I could say a word, Dan and Jack pulled me into another cab were Arin was already waiting. I was sandwiched between Dan and Jack for the ride back, so I made Jack roll his window down and yelled to Molly and Mandy I would see them soon and waved to Bob, Wade, and Mark as the taxi pulled away. Arin had already told the driver where we were going and loaded all our bags into the trunk of the car before he got in. I looked over at him and he was muttering under his breath what looked like "Hurry up already, I just wanna be home." Jack and Dan seemed to notice his impatience and directed most of the conversation to distracting him. I settled back and just let the conversation wash over me. After all, I too just wanted to be home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a reminder, I still would like input on the story : Should this be a Jack X Reader X Mark, a Jack X Reader then a Mark X Reader, a Mark X Reader then a Jack X Reader, a Dan X Reader X Jack X Mark, or some other combo? Polyamory thoughts? 
> 
> So far I have gotten 2 votes (both for polyamory between reader, Jack, and Mark). I will keep the vote open for a few chapters, but don't feel the need to vote multiple times, I will be keeping track, even if I don't comment on every vote. 
> 
> As always, if you see a mistake let me know! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy! Have a Fab Day! :)


	9. Off They Go Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The week after your first convention, the guys are going to another one. You will have a whole weekend to yourself for the first time in months! What to do, what to do? But first, you have to get them to leave...

The day after the convention, we all had to go to work, of course. Jack and Mark had decided that they could record a few extra videos a day for the first three days this week, to be edited after they left for their next convention on Thursday afternoon. This meant a ton of extra work for them, Matt, and I, but it would also give them a buffer of about a week and a half in case something came up or a video corrupted. None of us wanted to have something go wrong and not have posts now that the TV show had been announced. All the channels had had a surge of popularity from the weekend announcements and the three official teasers trailers had gone viral. Even Matt and Ryan, who had two channels to manage, were getting quite a boost from this announcement. We wanted to stay ahead of the surge and make sure everything was running smoothly. Because of this, everyone was supposed to show up early today and expect a longer day than normal. Bob and Wade were getting a ride from me, along with Jack of course, which was the first time since we started the project that this had happened. I had told them what time to be down at my car, and was relieved to see all of them waiting when I got out to my car. I unlocked the car and I heard Jack yell, "Shotgun!" as he raced for the front seat. Bob and Wade just shook their heads and climbed in the back. 

We stopped at the cafe across from work and had our morning coffee (and tea) run. I also picked up a dozen assorted muffins and half a dozen breakfast sandwiches. We grabbed the food and headed over to the parking garage. When I parked, Wade turned to me and asked "How did you get such a premium parking space? You are right by the elevator to the office and in a corner with an aisle on the other side. How did you luck out?"

I laughed. "I think it's because I am always the first one in, one of the last ones home, work weekends, and drive Jack in most days. If you look, Mark has a spot just a few down the row. Want to trade jobs?" 

Wade laughed and shook his head. "Seems fair." I asked him to carry one of the bags of sandwiches, Jack to grab the other, and grabbed my purse, tea, and the two boxes of muffins. Bob got the elevator and opened the office for us. Mark came in right behind us. I unlocked my office and had Jack and Wade put the food in there. They each grabbed a sandwich and muffin and their drink, before heading out to their filming spaces. I hung up my purse, grabbed my drink, a sandwich, and a muffin, offered Wade and Mark muffins and sandwiches, which they each took, and put the rest away for now in the mini fridge. I wrote a bunch of quick notes, stuck them on the doors of my crew, Ryan's office, and Matt's door telling them about the food and that my office would be unlocked (except my bathroom where my purse and personal items were) and to feel free to grab something and some coffee or a drink from the fridge before heading in to the studios to film. I also wrote a quick note to the secretary about lunch and submitted my receipt from the food for reimbursement. 

When I stepped into my recording booth between the studios, I saw Jack was already recording a video and Mark was about to start. I checked in quickly before he started and asked what we were doing today. He listed three games and a reading comments video. I wrote it down and told him to signal if he needed anything. I did the audio leveling and camera focusing tests on Mark's equipment. Once that was going, and Mark started recording, I checked in on Wade, Bob, and Matt and Ryan. The camera's were soon rolling for everyone. After Jack was done with his first recording, I took the footage and started editing while he ate some of the muffin and drank the rest of his coffee, before starting his next video. I checked in with him to see what he was recording for the rest of the day, and he told me he was recording a vlog about the convention, two more games, and maybe a YouTube comments video. I sighed and got to work. So. Much. Editing. 

We all took a break for lunch together around 1 o'clock. Mark had finished all four videos. Jack had gotten through four videos and had decided to wait on the last one until after they were done recording the TV show stuff this afternoon. Matt was not involved in the episode today, so he would be editing all afternoon with me, in my office. Jack told me he might record his other video during the afternoon break, since it was a recording comments and they were usually quick. I told him, to let me have the footage when he was done, but not to push too hard. I reminded everyone that they had a small buffer and they didn't need to exhaust themselves too much. Even with no extra videos I had enough videos to edit and upload for all of them that no one should notice anything different. Especially with the videos from this morning. Jack asked me to bump the vlog up for today's second upload. I agreed, especially since I had already done this. I wasn't going to mention it until Jack asked if he could see the video while we ate. I brought it out and he was shocked. It was already rendered and queued for upload. He laughed, as did Mark, Wade, and Bob when they heard what was going on. I also had edited one of Jack's game videos and Mark's reading comments. Everyone was impressed with how much I gotten done and told me so. I blushed a little and just told them "That's my job."

After lunch, the crew herded the YouTubers off to record the show. I headed in to my office with Matt, leaving the door open for our editing session in case anyone needed us. I finished editing all of Jack's videos by the time everyone was coming out for the afternoon break. I decided I needed a break as well then, so I stood up and walked out to the break room, just for a stretch and change of scenery. When I noticed everyone looked tired, I told Jack, Bob, and Wade to come to my office as soon as they were done filming and we would head home. I told Jack his videos were all edited, asked Jack and Mark if they needed me to do anything in particular from me for the rest of the day, and headed back in to edit some of Mark's videos. Matt looked up when I asked for the rest of Mark's unedited videos and smiled at me. I started editing as soon as I had the files, while Matt took a break. When he came back he was editing the Kids With Problems video and the videos for the second channel, SuperMega. About half an hour later Jack ran in, dropped off another video for me to edit, and dashed back out to go back to the TV recording area. I shook my head and knuckled down. I had just finished the last one when I heard Wade and Bob talking in the hall. I stood up and walked over to the doorway. They were heading down the hall toward my office, with a very quiet and tired looking Jack right behind them.

Everyone was so tired that on the way out to my car, I asked everyone if they wanted Chinese food or pizza for dinner. They debated for a few minutes while we walked and I unlocked the car. Jack once again climbed in the front, and Bob and Wade climbed in the back. When I started the car, I asked for the final verdict. I gave the menu to Bob and asked someone to call in our order, after telling them what I wanted to eat, while I drove to the Chinese food place I had found that we all liked. Jack fell asleep on the five minute drive. Wade offered to go grab the food and I gave him some money for my food, which he refused, telling me not to worry about it since I was driving him in to work all week. I thanked him and found a parking spot. Bob jumped out as well, telling me he needed to grab something at the grocery store. I nodded and decided to rest my eyes for a few minutes. I was reawakened from my quick catnap by Wade getting back in the car with the food. I looked up and saw Bob had already gotten back in, without my noticing. I gave myself a mental shake and woke myself up to drive us home. When we parked, I invited everyone in to divide the food, but Bob had fished his out in the car, so he declined and just headed up to his apartment, Wade grabbed the food he had ordered, handed me the bag and ran up to his apartment as well. I turned to look at Jack and noticed he was still asleep. I gently shook him awake and told him we were home with the food. He smiled sleepily and unfastened his seatbelt, following me into my apartment. I handed him his food and asked if he wanted to take it home or eat here, and he decided to eat here, telling me he was afraid he might fall asleep while eating and choke if he didn't. I smiled and we sat down on the couch to enjoy our meal. I turned on the TV and we found a show we both liked while we ate. Neither of us was very talkative, both nearly falling asleep in the food. After I threw the trash away in the kitchen, I walked back out to find Jack curled up and asleep on the couch. I smiled at the picture he made, covered him with a blanket and started shutting the lights off. He could sleep here tonight and go home tomorrow and grab clean clothes before work. After all, he lived just next door. Just before I shut off the final light I heard a very sleepy "Thanks [y/n]" from somewhere under the blankets and pillows. I made me smile. I decided to take a quick picture of Jack before shutting off the light, making sure I silenced my phone first. It was so cute, I made it my new phone background. I shut off the last light in the living room, leaving on a small hall light in case Jack needed to get up for something, and went to get ready for bed. I managed to brush my teeth and wash up before I fell asleep, but it was close. I tweeted out the picture of sleeping Jack, plugged my phone in to charge, and climbed under the covers. I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. 

The next two days were pretty much the same routine, the only difference being Jack and Mark didn't push quite so hard, and we got pizza the second night and subs the third night. Jack fell asleep at my apartment twice in that time. On Thursday, Wade and Bob were going to drive in separately, since they were leaving for the conference with Mark, Matt, Ryan, and Jack after lunch. Jack still wanted to ride in with me, claiming the luggage would be in his way if he rode with them. I saw the look Wade and Bob exchanged, but said nothing. It was pretty clear that Jack was starting to make up excuses to hang out with me. Jack loaded his bags for the convention in the back of my car on Wednesday night, before heading over to his apartment for the night. I wished him goodnight and went to bed early. I was very tired and knew I would be able to rest a bit after the YouTubers left for the conference. I realized as I laid down for bed that I was going to miss Jack and Mark a lot. They had become some of my closest friends since I moved out here, constantly in my life, cheering me up and making me a little crazy, if I were completely honest with myself. I drifted off to sleep thinking of them. That night, for the very first time since meeting them, I had very vivid (and lets be honest, very sexy) dreams about both Mark and Jack. I woke up feeling vaguely dissatisfied and far too horny. I shook my head at myself as I showered. It had just been too long since I had been on a date or had any sexy fun. Yeah, that must be it. I decided that maybe I should go out this weekend and find someplace fun. 

When I was done showing and dressing, I headed out to my car, relieved to see Jack was waiting for me. Suddenly, I heard someone call my name. I turned around just in time to have Dan run headlong into me. I fell over with a thud. Dan apologized and offered me a hand up. I took it and told him good morning. He grinned at me and told me it was now. He asked if I had any plans for the evening, and when I told him no, he informed me I did now. Apparently, the Grumps were having an office party and I was invited as a guest. I accepted, gave Dan my email address to send me the info and told him I had to go for work, and that Jack was waiting. Dan made a face for just a second before he called out a greeting to Jack and let me go. He yelled (far louder than I thought was necessary) "See you tonight!" and ran off. 

Jack asked me what that was about and I told him I was hanging out with the Grumps tonight. He made a noise of displeasure and changed the subject. I rolled my eyes. I asked him what he needed to do at work this morning and he grinned as he told me "Not much. Basically, I need to decide the upload order of things and record a quick video about this convention. I'll be done in an hour. Then I can just hang out and relax in your office." 

I laughed and accused him of using me for my coffee maker. He laughed as well and waggled his eyebrows playfully, telling me he wasn't denying it, but that I was forgetting the free food factor. We laughed and joked the entire rest of the drive in. 

After Jack was settled in to record, I checked in with Mark. He told me he was done recording, he just needed to finalize a couple of things and then he was just going to kick back and relax. I asked him about the order of his upload schedule and got that automated for him before Jack got back. He had just settled down with some food and coffee when Jack came in. I took the video and told him I would have it edited and up for the second video of the day. Then we discussed his video upload schedule and got that automated. He joined Mark on the couch and grabbed himself some food and coffee, just relaxing for the first time in days. I grinned at the two of them and started editing. I listened to them chat about all kinds of things, including upcoming video games, possible collabs for the near future, and the picture I had posted on Twitter of Jack asleep on my couch. I finished editing in record time and got the video rendered adding it to the queue for the day. I couldn't believe it. I was done with work for the rest of the week! I jumped up and threw my fist in the air with a loud "Woohoo!", making Jack and Mark jump a little and spin around to look at me. I grinned sheepishly and told them why. They laughed, telling me I should celebrate such a major achievement. That's when I said I was going to, at the Grumps party tonight. Mark didn't know anything about it so I told him about this morning's encounter with Dan. Jack was scowling the whole time, when he thought I couldn't see. Mark scowled a bit too. Honestly, what the hell guys?! Don't I deserve a life? 

Wade came in a few minutes later, and after seeing the expressions on Mark's and Jack's faces, asked "Who pooped in your punch?", making me completely crack up. I explained they were pouting because I was going to a party while they were at the convention and Wade made an exasperated sound. "Really guys? [Y/n] has been constantly around you two for months. One outside event and you two are acting like some stole all your cookies." 

Jack stuck out his tongue at Wade, but both he and Mark stopped scowling. I decided to distract them so I ran out to the lounge and grabbed some games. We all sat around playing Cards Against Humanity for a few hours, with Bob joining in when he saw me carrying back the game to my office. Before I knew it, it was time for the guys to head out to the airport for their flight, so I got up to wish them goodbye. Jack and Mark both asked me for a hug, which I gave them, before I gave Bob and Wade hugs as well, just to be fair (and to annoy them a little). I think Wade saw the glint of mischief in my eye when I hugged him, because he started laughing right after, although it could have been because Jack and Mark gave him such dirty looks. I walked down to the garage and opened my car so Jack could get his suitcase and turned around, right into Mark. I apologized, but he just said he wanted another hug, because the first one had worn off. I smiled and gave him another hug. Jack saw and whined he needed one too. I complied, and then told them I had to go back inside and get the videos uploaded. Fortunately, they had forgotten I had automated the schedule that morning, so I was able to escape without them fussing at me anymore. I headed upstairs, grabbed my lunch, and headed down to my crews offices. I decided we were all going to have a quick meeting over lunch, which no one minded, since it meant the company was providing the food. We talked about how everything was going and worked out a few details. Since no one had any problems to report, I ended the meeting fairly quickly, letting them get back to work on whatever projects they were currently involved in. I grabbed my purse, told Vicki goodbye, and headed home early. I had been working so much extra lately, I didn't even worry whether or not I had put in enough hours for the day. Since it was so early, I headed to the grocery store and bought all the groceries I had run low on, as well as some stuff to make food for the party tonight. I figured I would be a good guest and come prepared, since I had the time to cook today. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for the Kudos and comments! I really love getting the feedback and I am glad so many people are enjoying this. I needed a creative outlet. I still don't have any exact timeline plans or number of chapters, because I just write whatever feels most natural the day I post (I live on the edge), with only a vague idea of where the overall story will go. That's also why I don't have a regular time of day for the chapters. 
> 
> Voting will continue, probably until Friday (6/10) when I post the chapter. So far it's 6 votes for a Mark X Jack X Reader, with Dan a "protective brother" type friend and polyamory. No votes for anything else. ;) 
> 
> Thank you for reading and have a fab day! :)
> 
> Just a quick additional note: I may occasionally post a one shot or other fiction INSTEAD of this story for my daily post, but I will try to give some warning if that's gonna happen. I will also not be posting on the weekend of June 18th. I have a reunion and will be away, but I may try to have a few extra chapters ready early to post either right before or while I am gone, if I can manage. I have some health issues and am disabled, so I can't guarantee anything other than I will try! See everyone next chapter!


	10. A Grumpy Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You go to the Game Grumps party with Dan, Arin, and Suzy. And you get a surprise visit!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, another punny chapter title. What an I doing with my life?! I am SO sorry, I just can't seem to resist them. 
> 
> Thanks again for all the Kudos and comments! I can't believe this has gotten over 1,100 hits since I started. It hasn't even been 2 weeks! O.O

By the time I finished grocery shopping and went to pay, I had plenty of good stuff for the party. While I waited in line I checked my email and saw the invite for the party. It was going to be at the apartment of Arin and Suzy. I smiled. That would make things so much easier! I shot Suzy a quick text asking her what food she wanted me to bring, besides some desserts. As the line inched slowly forward (why don't grocery stores ever have enough cashiers?), I got a reply. Arin was out buying some appetizers ingredients and booze, they had tons of soda, tea, and lemonade, and Holly and Ross were bringing salad. Suzy said she was making a chicken dish, but if I wanted to make something else, whatever I made would be great. And she thanked me for bringing desserts. I finally got up to the register, paid for my food, loaded my car, and drove home. When I got there, I immediately went into party food prep mode, pausing only long enough to put away the food I had gotten that wasn't for the party. I made a few dozen pina colada cupcakes, a humongous bunch of my special banana chocolate cookies, three pans of lasagna, and a slow-cooker of chili. When I realized how much food I had actually made, I groaned to myself. Why could I never do anything small! I decided to freeze one of the pans of lasagna and some of the cookies. That way the next time Jack was whining about wanting sweets at my house, I could get him some pretty fast, or if I needed some quick meals. Since I still had some time before the party, I chopped some veggies for meals and snacks later this week. I cleaned the kitchen up, putting the dirty dishes in he dishwasher or washing them and putting them in the dish strainer to dry, before heading to my bedroom to get ready for the party. Once I had showered, changed clothes, done my hair and makeup, and put on my sandals, it was almost time for the party. I called Suzy up and asked if I could borrow Arin and Dan for a few minutes to help me haul some stuff over, explaining about my cooking overload. She laughed and told me it was no problem, especially since Dan was hanging out in her kitchen, making her crazy while she was trying to finish the food. I laughed and let her get back to it. A minute or two later, Dan and Arin knocked. I let them in and started handing them food to carry. They both goggled at the sheer amount of stuff I had. Arin turned to me, asking "And you made all this today? You didn't even know about this until TODAY?"

I blushed and laughed a little. "Yeah. I was done with work early. All that energy had to go somewhere I guess, so I went grocery shopping and just started cooking. I may have gotten carried away." I didn't mention the food I had prepped for later or frozen. 

Dan looked very impressed, before he said "And I thought I was a workaholic! If this is your 'down' time work ethic, man, you must get a ton done! Maybe the Grumps should try to steal you..." Arin nodded, heading out the door with two trays of cookies and a pan of lasagna. Dan followed, carrying the other pan of lasagna, the slow cooker, and a tray of cupcakes. I followed with the rest of the cookies and the two cupcake towers, closing my door and locking it on the way out.

Suzy was stunned by the amount of food I had made as well. She told me "You weren't kidding about making a lot of food. I figured you must have made like three things, not all this! When did you have time? I know you left for work at your usual time this morning." I explained about finishing all my work early and having the afternoon off and an entire weekend to myself for the first time since I started working in LA. She laughed, informing me "You better alert the media, hurricane [y/n] is about to strike LA!" Everyone laughed, and I asked if there was anything I could do to help set up. Suzy told me she had it under control, especially since all my food was already ready to serve. I grinned when she then informed me the biggest help I could be was to get Dan and Arin out of her kitchen so she could focus. I knew they heard her, because when I turned around they were making pouty faces. I laughed at them and told them if they were good I would give them each a cookie or cupcake, but why didn't we all head out now and get out some games set up. I snagged a small plate, putting a few cookies and three cupcakes on it, and walked out to Suzy and Arin's living room, shooing the guys out in front of me. They looked hungrily at the sweets, but quickly got out some board games and several multiplayer video games. I handed each of them a cookie and a cupcake. They immediately dug in and started making "mmm", "ooo", and "ahhh" noises much to my amusement. They were like giant kids. Suzy poked her head out of the kitchen at the sudden change in volume and the strange noises, nearly falling over laughing when she saw them try to hide the food from her. She waved at them to keep eating and asked Arin to answer the door when everyone else got here. Meanwhile, I walked over and checked out what games were brought out for the night. 

Just a few minutes later, Holly and Ross arrived, carrying a large salad and a basket of bread. Ross was immediately pushed out of the kitchen by Holly, to join the rest of us in the living room. I got up and asked if anyone wanted anything to drink, bringing back Holly and the requested beverages a minute later. I brought out the smallest tray of cookies as well, placing it on the table, along side the appetizers Holly was carrying. Suzy brought out the rest of the appetizers a few moments later. I asked who else was coming and was surprised to hear that pretty much everyone who worked with the grumps would be, if they weren't away at a convention. Even Mark and Jack would have been invited, if they weren't gone. Apparently, I was the only non-Grump or Grumps significant other, attending tonight though. I relaxed, taking a seat next to Dan, beside Arin, as more people started arriving. Soon everyone was here and the party really started. I was very glad I had brought so much food when I saw how many people were actually here. Suzy finally came out of the kitchen and sat down on the other side of Arin, hugging him as she did so. She looked at everyone and told them the food was ready, whenever people got hungry and it was a help yourself, buffet style meal. A few people wandered over to get food immediately, but most of us stayed where we were and continued chatting. I knew quite a few of the Grumps, besides the people from the conference, after hanging out with Suzy, Arin, and Dan so much, but I still had not met a few of them. We were introduced and someone suggested we play Funemployed. We all agreed and a lively game started. It was hilarious, as was the video game tournament later that evening, and even the Truth or Dare that happened after most of the crowd was a little less than sober was a hoot. This was a perfect evening for just unwinding and having fun. When I was finally ready to go home, Suzy thanked me for bringing the food and sent Arin and Dan with me, to carry the leftovers and empty dishes back to my apartment. I was grateful that Dan lived on the bottom floor, since he had been drinking and was somewhat drunk. Arin helped steady him several times as we walked over to my apartment. I opened my door and dropped the food off in the kitchen before waving goodbye to Arin and getting a (surprise!) drunk kiss and hug from Dan. Arin was laughing at my startled look as he helped Dan walk down the few steps from my door and across the sidewalk to his apartment. I walked into the kitchen, put the leftover food away in the fridge or in covered containers (the cookies and cupcakes), before washing the last of the dishes and settling down into my couch. I was just kicking of my sandals when I heard my cell phone start buzzing. By the time I found it, I saw I had several missed calls and a missed chat invite. I also noticed my phone was about to die, so I got up and went to plug it in. I was just getting ready to head to bed when someone knocked on my front door. Who could that be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is sort of short, but I wanted a cliffhanger, and I don't feel very well today.
> 
> I have been getting quite a few votes for Dan as overprotective friend and Jack X Mark X Reader. (8 of the 10 votes so far)  
> I have gotten 1 vote for Jack X Reader.  
> I have one vote for Jack X Mark X Reader X Dan. 
> 
> Okay -- This WILL be a polyamory. I am will still be leaving the vote open through at least tomorrow, but I know that much. This is actually making me giggle anyway, because Dan and the rest of the Grumps were never actually supposed to be part of the story. XD Maybe if I tried a little less 'fly by the seat of my pants' the story would be going more like my original thoughts. Although, people seem to be enjoying this, and I feel like this is more organic and my natural style.
> 
> Also, does anyone remember the OC's I mentioned in the description of the work, your two best friends? They will finally be making an appearance soon...
> 
> As always, if you see a mistake, let me know! Thanks for reading, and comments, suggestions, and kudos are welcome. (I will take requests for short works too, just email me [bmlrose at gmail]) I hope you are enjoying the read and have a fab day! ;)


	11. The Visitors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who are the surprise visitors at your door?

I dragged myself back out to the front door. I tried to look out through the peephole, but because it was so dark out I couldn't tell who was out there. I slowly opened the door to find two people I totally did not expect. It was Lia and Greg! I had been missing them and was going to call them, but had been so busy I never got the chance. I quickly let them in, asking them "What are you guys doing here? I totally wasn't expecting to see you until I went home next time! It's great to see you. Come in come in. Where are you staying? How long are you here for? Oh my gawd, I am so excited to see you!"

Greg laughed and told me to calm down. Lia dropped her bags just inside the front door and gave me a big hug. I hugged her back, squealing with excitement. I grabbed Greg and pulled him in for a hug too. I grabbed Greg's bags and dragged them in, closing the door. I showed them around my apartment, since they had never seen it, and we all sat down on the couch. Lia asked me if they could stay here, and I told them as long as they didn't mind either sharing the guest room or sleeping on the couch, it was fine. Greg told me he would sleep on the couch. Lia grabbed her bags and carried them to the guest room, dropping on the floor by the door. I went in and grabbed the boxes I had left on the bed in there and moved them to the floor in the corner to deal with later. I told Lia where the sheets, pillows, blankets, and towels were, telling her to make herself at home. A wave of exhaustion had hit me again as I was moving the boxes, and added to the fact I was a little drunk from the party, I was pretty dead. Fortunately, Lia and Greg were pretty exhausted from flying over to see me, so they were ready to sleep too. I showed Greg where everything was, left the small hall light on and headed to bed. I fell asleep as soon as I got into bed, before I even managed to get properly under the covers. 

I woke up later then usual the next morning, looking at the clock and seeing it was nearly eight AM. I had a moment of panic, before I remembered that even though it was Friday, I had the day off. I rolled out of bed, headed into the bathroom, showered, brushed my hair back into a ponytail, and got dressed. It wasn't until I went to open my bedroom door, I remembered my house guests. I hoped Lia and Greg had slept well. When I went out, Greg was still sleeping on the couch, and I saw no signs of Lia yet either. I smiled and headed into the kitchen. I decided to make a pot of coffee and a nice breakfast for everyone, so I started chopping ingredients for a frittata, washed and cut up fruit for a fruit salad, and got out the coffee maker. When everything was ready, I mixed the ingredients for the frittata, added some grated cheese and scrambled eggs to the pan, and stuck it in the oven to bake. (For anyone who doesn't know a frittata is like a quiche without a crust, or a egg dish with veggies, cheese, and / or meats.) I mixed the fruit salad up and put it in the fridge to chill. I started the coffee and put the tea kettle on to boil for myself. I looked at the time. Nearly eight-thirty. I thought for a minute, before deciding to make some spicy corn muffins to go with the rest of the food. I opened the fridge up, grabbed the ingredients I needed, including some jalapeños and cheese, and grabbed the muffin pan. I mixed everything up quickly and stuck the muffins in the oven for ten minutes. I cleaned up the dishes I had dirtied, putting the clean dishes in the dish strainer to dry. When I checked the muffins, I noticed they weren't quite done, so I set the timer for another 3 minutes, before returning them to the oven and checking the frittata. It wasn't quite done either. I closed oven door and looked around the kitchen. I thought for a minute, before grabbing the bacon from the fridge and a frying pan. I fried the bacon, took at the muffins when the timer finished, put the muffins in a basket with a clean towel, plated the bacon, got the creamer and sugar out, made my tea, and turned off the tea kettle. I got plates out for everyone, forks, spoons, butter, knives, and checked the frittata again. It was just finishing, so I took it out and turned the oven off. I put cups next to the coffee maker and set out placemats on the island, setting each place as I went. I grabbed some bowls and dished the fruit salad out. Just as I was getting ready to dish the frittata, I head someone moving around behind me. I turned and smiled when I saw Greg standing in the door. I told him to grab a some coffee and have a seat. He nodded sleepily, pouring the coffee carefully, before sitting in the middle seat of the island. Lia was right behind him, looking far more awake, having clearly showered and dressed before she came out. She grabbed a coffee and sat at the end of the island saying "Wow! Someone was a busy bee this morning." I passed the food out and was about to sit down when I heard a knock at the door. I sighed, told Lia and Greg to start without me, and headed down the hall to answer the door. When I looked out, I saw Dan on the doorstep. I opened the door and smiled at him.

Dan smiled back at me. He looked very relieved about something. Suddenly he said "Oh good you're home! I ran out of coffee and Suzy and Arin aren't home. Normally, I'd ask Jack, but he's off at the convention and I need something for my head before I try to drive anywhere. Oh god, your apartment smells amazing! Did you cook again? Do you have people over? I can go if you're busy."

I told him "Calm down, Dan. I had some friends from home drop in unexpectedly last night. I made breakfast, but you can come in and eat too if you're hungry. There is plenty of food. And there is a pot of coffee. Come on in, and you can meet them. Lia and Greg are some of my oldest friends. I think they would love to met you. They are in the kitchen." I dragged Dan in, closing the door behind him, and practically dragged him in to the kitchen. I looked up at him a little surprised when he hesitated in the doorway. "Well, come on in. This is Lia, and that's Greg. Greg, Lia, this is Dan, one of my neighbors, one of my new friends, and a really cool guy." I grabbed an extra bar stool, extra placemat, a cup for his coffee, a fork, spoon, knife, bowl, and plate for him, and started dipping out his food. He looked amazed by something, when I glanced at him to ask if he wanted any turkey bacon. He shook his head and sipped his coffee, downing his painkillers with the first sip. I handed him his plate and bowl of fruit salad, telling him "Dig in. I have plenty more." before sliding into my seat and starting to eat. 

Lia and Greg started asking Dan questions, which he answered, asking questions of his own. I smiled as I ate, glad my friends were all getting along and everyone was enjoying their food. Dan finally turned to me, asking "When did you have time to do all this? You were at the party until fairly late last night. And when did your friends get here? You didn't mention them yesterday, did you? I can't remember you mentioning anyone visiting. And why aren't you at work yet?"

I grinned. "Hold on. Gimme a chance to answer before you ask anything else. I cooked this morning after I got up. Lia and Greg surprised me last night, right before I was going to go to bed, after we got all my stuff in my apartment last night from the party. And, no, I didn't mention them visiting yesterday, because I didn't know they were coming. It was just a good thing I didn't end up going to the convention with the guys. Then what would they have done?" I looked over at them. Lia looked shocked. Greg was blushing. I turned back to Dan. "I have a long weekend, starting yesterday, since I finished everything up at work until the guys are back." Dan nodded. 

Greg cleared his throat. "So, um, who are these guys you keep referring to? And how likely is it really that you would have been out of town at a convention? You never used to go to cons." Dan laughed.

I smirked. "Actually, fairly likely. I was invited to go, but declined this one. I was gone last weekend at a different one. I actually had to present." Dan was nodding and looking at something on his phone. "And as to who the guys are, do you watch YouTube? I am working on a project with Markiplier, JackSepticEye, LordMinion777, Muyskerm, and Kids With Problems. Actually, Dan is a YouTuber as well." 

Dan spoke up, flipping his phone around "Here you go. This is the video of her panel last week. It was pretty awesome!" I blushed. "I am one of the Game Grumps. I also am in a couple of bands, StarBomb and NinjaSexParty. I don't know if you know about them." Lia's eyes got huge as she looked back and forth between me and Dan. Greg just looked confused. 

Lia finally said "Why didn't you tell me? You know I'm a huge fan of Mark and Jack. Are we going to get to meet them? Oh, wait, did you say they are at a convention? How can they keep posting if they are at conventions two weeks in a row? I haven't noticed anything different."

I smiled. "Why, thank you! I have been working with them to edit and record the videos and make sure everything is posted on time. That's partly why I have been so busy lately. And if you guys are staying for more than just the weekend, I can introduce you to them when they get back. And as for why, I haven't talked to you in a while, and when I first started working out here, I was contractually obligated to keep quiet until the show we are working on was announced. That happened last weekend at the convention." I turned to Greg. "Did you have any questions? You still look a little confused."

Greg shook his head, saying "I'm more surprised than confused. I thought you hated public speaking." He was quiet for a minute before adding, "Well, that and you usually have trouble making friends. Lia and I were kind of afraid you were going to be totally lonely and depressed out here. We thought you might have just been holing up, hiding from the world, playing video games non-stop when you weren't working." I blushed as Dan laughed.

Dan piped in with "Dude, why do you think we all hang out with her? Well, that and she is an awesome cook. She's really funny too." I was afraid my hair was going to catch fire from blushes, I swear. Greg and Lia just laughed.

"That sounds like her!" Lia added, winking at me. Greg nodded. I hid my face in my hands, waiting for my blushes to cool down a bit while everyone went back to their food.

Finally everyone finished eating and I whisked the dishes away to the dishwasher, adding the soap and starting it, before putting the food away and rejoining my friends. Dan eventually excused himself, claiming he had to go in to work, but promising to see me soon. I walked him out, waving as he walked over to his apartment. Lia gave me a measured look, asking me if I was dating him. I told her no, omitting the fact that I knew he was interested in me, and also failing to mention Mark's and Jack's interest in me. I distracted her my telling her that Bob, Wade, and Jack were my neighbors and asking if she wanted to meet Mandy and Molly or visit my office at work. She and Greg decided that they were going to 'kidnap' me and go do something fun today, since I had the day off. We eventually decided to go to on a tour of LA and stop at whatever looked fun. I wasn't really feeling the whole amusement park vibe today, so I suggested we wait to see someplace like Disneyland for another day. 

We had a ton of fun! I hadn't really explored LA since I moved in, having been too busy with work. It was nice to just spend a day relaxing and hanging out with old friends. I did stop and check my email occasionally on my phone, and check to make sure the videos uploaded on time, but otherwise I left work stuff out of my mind for the day. When we finally got back to my apartment, it was late and we all were very tired, so we just headed to bed. I wished everyone goodnight, before closing my door and plugging in my phone to charge. I grabbed my laptop and booted it up while I got ready for bed. Once I was all ready, I climbed into bed, pulling my laptop over to me after I got comfy. I was checking my Facebook feed and Twitter, when I got a message from Jack. He asked me what I was still doing up. I messaged back, telling him I was actually in bed, just checking my messages. I grinned to myself when he told me he missed me and wished me goodnight, claiming he didn't want to keep me up. I told him goodnight and to have fun at the rest of the convention. He signed off and I immediately got another message, this one from Mark, asking me almost the exact same thing. I repeated the conversation before I signed off and shut my laptop down. I had just put my laptop away when I heard my phone chirp. I checked and saw a text from Dan wishing me goodnight. I texted back a smiley and wished him goodnight as well. I put my phone down and laid back, falling asleep fairly quickly after that, with a smile on my face, thinking about how nice all my friends are to me. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone remember Lia and Greg? They were mentioned in the notes on the very first chapter of the fiction...
> 
> Posting early today, which means...
> 
> ... there MAY be two chapters coming out today! Yay! If not, I can at least get a head start tomorrow's chapter, I think. As always sing out if you see something that looks wrong. I watch the comments and do make corrections if needed. Don't forget to vote or make suggestions for the story if you want to see something. I will take requests (if I can work them in, or I will write another fic with the suggestion if it doesn't work for this one.) 
> 
> Thank you for all the lovely comments and kudos. They always make me smile. Thanks for reading and have a fab day! ;)


	12. A free weekend?!?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How are you going to spend an entire weekend off work?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly sexy talk ahead! 
> 
> Conversations over text or IM will be this format for my works:  
> Name* whatever is being said.
> 
> Enjoy this slightly longer chapter!

Since we knew Disney would be most packed on the weekend, Lia, Greg, and I had decided to go on Monday. The guys weren't going to be back from the convention until late that day anyway, so there really wasn't any need for me to go in to the office until Tuesday. Lia and Greg had told me while we were out sightseeing that they planned to stay for at least two weeks, but they had decided to go rent a couple of hotel rooms, from a hotel discount site. Fortunately, since it was not the height of tourist season, they were able to get a hotel at a reasonable rate, fairly close to me. Greg also rented a car, so they could explore without me, or while I was busy with work. I drove them over to the hotel, dropped off Lia and the luggage, and drove Greg to the car rental place on Saturday. He got the keys after he signed the paperwork, and followed me back to the hotel. Once we got back, we ate dinner there and just hung out in Lia's room until I announced I was going home. Lia and Greg wished me goodnight and told me they would meet up with me tomorrow. I walked down to my car and drove home, happy knowing my friends were comfortable and had a way to get around without me. When I got home, I once again got ready for bed and crawled in bed with my laptop so I could surf the web and check social media. Before long, Jack and Mark were instant messaging me, telling me all about the convention and the panel they had done, wishing I had been there too, and generally telling me they missed me. I eventually realized that neither one knew the other was talking to me, so I asked them where they were right now. They both responded with the same thing: hanging out with Bob and Wade in Wade's room. I started cracking up. I hatched a devious plan. Since they were oblivious to what the other was doing, I grabbed my phone and texted Wade a message. 

Me* Wade, don't tell Mark or Jack you got this from me, but suggest something to distract them. I have an evil plan. 

Wade* Okay, [y/n]. What are we doing? And can I tell Bob? 

Me* Sure. :) Just make sure he doesn't tell them either. They are both chatting with me, and have been for a while now. Neither one knows the other is talking to me. I want to see if I can either embarrass them or make them figure it out. What do you think? 

Wade* I'm in. So's Bob. Go for the embarrassment! We'll let you know how it goes...

Bob* Hey [y/n], great plan. You could also try to make them uncomfortable. We'll come up with a really good distraction.

I cackled, rubbing my hands together and started thinking about what to do to them. Hmm... 

When my plan came to me, it was ridiculously good. I was going to talk dirty to them! I texted Wade that I was ready whenever, and they could start the distraction. I got a thumbs up from Bob and a message from Wade that he was suggesting they all record a collab video, playing Rocket League. I messaged back a thumbs up. Perfect. When I logged in to Steam, I could see that they were all playing Rocket League now (they were listed as my friends after all and I had notifications on), so I set to work. Jack and Mark had been messaging me through Twitter direct messages, so I opened two windows in my browser, one for each of them, on a split screen. Bob texted me that Wade told Jack and Mark that Molly was texting him, so my messages should go to him. I grinned and waited a few seconds before sending the first message to Mark. 

Me* Hey Mark. What are you doing right now. I'm bored and lonely. Wish you were here. :(

Mark* Hey [y/n]. sorry to hear that. Why are you suddenly bored though? 

Me* My TV show ended a few minutes ago and there's nobody around. I don't even have a good book to read.

Mark* Why don't you play a game?

Me* Maybe I will.

Meanwhile I was sending this conversation to Jack:

Me* Hey Jackaboy. What's going on? Are you playing something with the guys?

Jack* Yup. Rocket League. I'm on a team with Mark. Can't talk now. Gotta score against Bob and Wade.

Me* Okay. I guess I just sit her and play with myself...

Jack* Umm. Do you mean by yerself? Or are you oversharing?

Me* ;)

Jack* ...

Just then I got a text from both Bob and Wade. They were asking me what in the world I just did to Jack, because he turned redder than they thought possible and had to excuse himself to the bathroom. I laughed. Now for Mark...

Mark* Did you decide on something to play?

Me* Yup. I've got something to play with right now. 

Mark* Really. And what is that? 

Me* Guess. Maybe there will even be a prize.

Mark* I have no idea, give me a hint...

Me* Well, I might be less lonely when I play with this...

Mark* Okay. Hmmm. Is it large or small?

I laughed out loud at that comment. Oh Mark, you have no idea. I texted back: Me* Well... Me* It's big enough...

Mark* Oh really?

Me* And it's lots of fun. I might need to put new batteries in it though...

Mark* ... ... ... 

Me* Mark? You still there? 

Wade texted me again. Wade* I think you broke Mark. He literally dropped his phone, turned as red as Jack, and is whimpering. What did you do?

Me* Don't worry about it Wade. I won't destroy you and Bob. Have fun at the rest of the convention!

I closed the private message windows on my computer and looked at the time. It was getting late. I shrugged to myself. I didn't have anywhere I needed to be tomorrow, so I just decided to surf the web for a while. I left a window with Twitter open, but minimized, so I could get any notices that popped up and found my favorite gaming news site. I was browsing the articles, clicking on some that interested me, when I noticed the guys had all left Steam. I figured they must have decided to call it a night, so when my phone started buzzing a few minutes later, I was surprised. I looked at the screen and got another surprise. It was Jack. Okay, stay calm. I clicked to accept the call and answered the phone quietly.

"Hello? Jack? Is something wrong?"

"[y/n]. What was that all about? Were ye just messing with me? What's going on?"

"What do you mean? I"

Jack cut me off "I mean with what ye said ta me in that message. Are ye trying ta kill me? I nearly had a heart attack. As it was I had to leave the room and I know Wade and Bob are wondering what's up, but I can't face them again right now. Answer me this, are ye just flirting because yer bored, or was it something more? Ye know I like ye, I think. I've been trying ta let ye know."

I swallowed hard. "Yes, Jack I know you like me. I like you too. I feel really comfortable around you." 

Jack made a noise I couldn't quite place "Great. Comfortable."

"Yes, comfortable. I like being around you. I feel better when I am. I miss you when you're not here. Comforted. Comfortable."

"Oh. That's not what I thought ye meant by that. Can we talk about this some more?"

"Jack, I think this conversation should happen when we are both in the same room, where we can look at each other and see body language. I don't want any confusion or miscommunication. You'll be back the day after tomorrow. I'll be here. Come over when you get home and we'll talk. Okay?"

"Okay [y/n]. Thanks. I'll see ye soon. G'night."

"Goodnight Jack." I hung up. Well, that was unexpected. I mean, I knew what I wanted to happen, but I didn't think my little prank would lead to this. Just then, my phone buzzed again. It was still in my hand, so i looked at the number. Mark. I clicked to accept the call.

"Hey Markimoo. How you doing?"

"[y/n]. Are you trying to kill me? I swear it took me this long just to get calmed down enough to call you. Do you know what you're doing to me? Bob and Wade thought I lost my mind, and I'm not sure they are wrong. Why? Why? WHY?"

"Calm down, Mark. I was just teasing you. Lighten up."

"Teasing me? TEASING me? Why? Do you have feelings for me? I definitely have feeling for you, that I would love to explore, but I thought you were into Dan or Jack."

"Mark, do you really want to have this conversation over the phone? Can't it wait until you get back, the day after tomorrow? I'm not going anywhere. We can sit down and discuss it then. Okay? Please?"

Mark sighed. "Okay. I'll stop by when I drive Jack home from the airport. We can talk then. I need to try to calm down a little more and get some sleep, IF I can. You've gotten me pretty stirred up here. You know that right?"

I laughed softly. "All over a Nintendo DS. I swear, you get so worked up about games."

"A DS? What? What are you talking about?"

"The device I was playing with that I needed to change the batteries in. What did you think I was talking about, Mr. Iplier?"

Mark groaned. "You're teasing me again. I can't take it. I'm going to go try to drown my frustration in a shower."

I had a sudden mental image of Mark naked and soaped up, sexy as all hell. I swallowed and said "Try not to abuse yourself too much. Goodnight. I see you Monday night."

"Goodnight [y/n]. You're evil." With that he hung up the phone. Now I had a major dilemma on my hands. Could I get both Jack and Mark to agree to a relationship with me, and possibly each other? I had known for years I was polyamorous and learned to accept most people's reactions. I hadn't told the guys yet, and I hoped they would take it well. I was mulling this over in my head as I turned my laptop off for the night and plugged my phone into the bedside charger. I laid down and tried to go to sleep. 

Unfortunately, sleep was hard to come by that night. Sexy images of Mark and Jack were warring with anxiety and nerves about revealing being polyamorous. It was confusing, distracting, and I was very hot and bothered. Eventually, I fell into a fitful sleep, waking up late and feeling grumpy the next morning. I got up and took a bubble bath to try to relieve some stress, before getting dressed, but it only helped a little. I was still out of sorts and grumpy when Lia and Greg showed up. They immediately asked what was wrong and asked if they could help. I explained the situation and what I was afraid of. They looked sympathetic and tried to comfort me as much as they could, but they knew what I was going through wasn't something they could fix. They had helped me get over previous catastrophes and we were all just praying this wouldn't be one of those situations. It didn't help that I was refusing to tell them who the two men were either. I knew Lia would freak out if I told her, and she was such a fan of Mark that I didn't dare mention his name. Eventually, we decided the best way to help me feel better before the big confrontation would be a movie binge. Lia decided we needed tacos to go with the movies, so she went into the kitchen to make them. That's when I remembered all the food I had left from the party. I ran in and grabbed the slow cooker, reheating the chili to go with the tacos, and grabbed the cupcakes and cookies. She grinned and gave me a gallon of iced tea to carry out. I put these things on the coffee table, along side some little plates and glasses, grabbed my remotes, popped a DVD in the player and queued up _**Star Wars A New Hope.**_ If we were going to marathon movies to make me feel better, this was the way to start! I curled up on the couch, grabbing my favorite fuzzy throw blanket and a bunch of throw pillows and got comfy. Greg had gone in the kitchen and gotten out some salsa, guacamole, and tortilla chips, putting them in bowls, and set them on the table with the tea and sweets. He went back in the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of beer for himself and asked if anybody else wanted one. I passed, but Lia took one, opening it as she fried the meat for the tacos. I had already chopped the veggies, planning on taco salad later this week when I was prepping food on Thursday. Once the meat was cooked, she put the chili, bowls, plates, spoons, and taco fixings on the pass-through counter between the kitchen and living room. That way we could grab food whenever we got hungry without having to stop the movies. We were just about to start the movie when I heard a knock on the door. I got up and answered it. It was Dan. He smiled at me until he noticed my face. Apparently, I had been crying without realizing it earlier, and he could immediately tell. He asked me what was wrong. I invited him in to join the movie marathon, and explained. I even told him about the polyamory issue without remembering he didn't already know. He took it in stride, acting like it was no big deal. I didn't reveal who the men I was talking about were to him either. Finally, he reached over, gave me a hug, and told me if they were as great as I thought, they would be cool. He said he would rather have me, even sharing me, that not have me in his life. I smiled at him, returning the hug. Finally we all settled down to watch the movies. Dan had snagged my corner seat, so I was sitting next to him, snuggled up with pillows and my blanket. Before long he put his arm around my shoulder, telling me I should cuddle with him, not the pillows. Lia and Greg rolled their eyes and make gagging noises. I giggled a little, but did snuggle my shoulder against his chest and rest my head on his shoulder as we watched. It was very restful, and eventually, the relief of having other people know my problem, the warmth of Dan's body and my blanket, the comforting low chat of my friends, and the soothing patterns of the movie put me to sleep. I don't know how long I was asleep, only that when I woke up, everyone was watching **_Empire Strikes Back._** We kept watching movies until Dan had to go, around eleven o'clock that night. I thanked him for visiting and he told me if I ever needed anyone to talk to, or a shoulder to cry on, he was always there for me. I hugged him and wished him goodnight. Greg and Lia watched the whole exchange quietly before Lia finally commented, "You know he's into you right? I mean he would love to date you, if you haven't noticed." 

I swallowed and nodded. "I know. I just don't know how I feel about him. I don't think I feel like that, but he's so sweet, caring, nice, and everything I'm just not sure. Does that make me a bad person? I'm not trying to lead him on."

Greg grinned. "No [y/n]. And I don't think you were leading him on. You didn't really give out anything but a friend vibe. Just talk to him and tell him how you feel. He seems like he will understand. Now we have to get going. Do you want to meet up tomorrow, or take a day for yourself? I know you have to get back to work the next day, and we can find something to amuse ourselves if you want to just have some time alone." 

I shook my head. "Disneyland tomorrow. Remember? Like I would miss that. Besides, I'll just take a separate car, so I can leave early if I need to. You guys should stay for the fireworks show at the end of the evening. Tuesday, you can meet me for lunch and I will show you my office at work, okay? I'll text you the address. The cafe across the street is amazing, so we can eat there. See you in the morning." With that I closed the door behind my friends, went into my bedroom, washed up, brushed my teeth, and changed into my pajamas. I was tired, even though I had slept during part of the movies, so I fell asleep as soon as my eyes closed and my head touched the pillow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. I think I'm going to go ahead and call the vote. It looks like the most requested idea is Dan as a protective/overprotective BFF/brother figure and a polyamory relationship with Jack X Mark X Reader. This is probably where the story will go, but Dan may end up as part of the relationship by the end. (xD He wasn't even going to be in the story when it started. Now, I have a feeling he is going to be a fairly major factor.) 
> 
> Thanks for reading, I love all the comments and kudos! Have a fab day! ;)
> 
> One other thing --> If you have a request for a story, send it to me. I am looking for ideas and welcome the input.


	13. The Hard Conversation.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Monday night is here. Now for the discussion...

I had a great time at Disney with Lia and Greg, but I was distracted, knowing Mark and Jack would be arriving this evening and both of them wanted to talk. Finally, I couldn't stand it anymore. It was six o'clock and I was going to go home and pace. I wasn't sure exactly what time the flight was arriving, only knowing it was after seven, since I had heard Molly make a comment to Suzy as all of us were out by the dumpster, getting rid of trash. I fervently wished that I had asked exactly what time the flight was supposed to land, but I didn't want to raise anyone's suspicions. Molly and Mandy already knew, or guessed a lot more than I was ready to reveal, and until I talked things out with Jack and Mark, I didn't want anyone knowing anything more. I hugged Lia and Greg goodbye, hopped on the shuttle back to the parking lot I was parked in, put my music on and drove off, stopping on my way home to grab a carton of ice cream. I might need it if things went poorly. 

It was about ten after seven when I parked my car. I grabbed the small grocery bag, my phone, and my purse and headed into my apartment. I had just set my phone down and walked into the kitchen when there was a knock at the front door. My heart skipped several beats and I quickly threw the ice cream in the freezer, before backtracking to the front door. There stood Jack and Mark. They both looked a little confused, but determined. I invited them both in and asked them to have a seat in the living room. I saw Wade and Bob watching. I waved to them and shut the door. Okay, don't panic [y/n]. I just have to walk in and tell these two gorgeous men, who I have had feelings for forever, who say they have feelings for me, something that's not exactly the easiest to handle. Don't panic. Easy. I tried to psych myself up, but it wasn't working. Finally, I just gave myself a mental shake and walked into the living room. The moment of truth had arrived.

Jack and Mark were standing on opposite sides of the room, looking at my DVD collection and some books I had out. When I walked in they both turned to me, but I held up my hand to forestall any questions. I sat down on the couch and told them I had somethings I wanted to talk about. Then I started. "Guys, I need to tell you something. It's not exactly a secret, but it's not something I tell everyone either. It's personal and I hope you will understand and be okay with it, but I know it can be a lot to take in. I will try to answer any questions you have, but please wait to ask them until I finish. First things first, I hope you both know how much I have come to value our friendship. I don't want anything to get in the way of that or change it. I want you to promise me that you will try not to let anything happen to cause a rift between us." I paused and looked at them both, Jack nodded and looked like he suddenly understood something. Mark still just looked confused, but he nodded as well, so I started again, looking down and taking a deep breath. "I am just going to come out and say this first. I'm polyamorous. I have been in a few polyamory relationships in the past and have know since I was about fifteen." I looked up into two pairs of extremely startled eyes. Jack looked stunned. I guess he whatever he thought I was going to say was something else entirely. No time to focus on that right now. I had to push ahead. "Whatever you think of that, know this. When I tell someone I have feelings for them, or get into a relationship, I am faithful. They always know all the facts ahead of time and I try to make sure no one gets hurt because of me. I'm telling you both now because I have feelings for you, but I don't want to cause anyone problems. I would love to be able to go out with both of you, but only if you think you can handle it. I don't want to have there be problems between any of us, or even just between the two of you, because of me. If you think you can handle this let me know. Now, do you have any questions for me?" I watched the expressions flit across the faces of the two men in rapid succession. Clearly, they were going to need a few minutes to process this. I stood up. "While you guys are thinking, I'm going to go grab a drink. Do either of you want one?" 

Jack nodded, "Yes, please. I'll come with ye, so I can decide what I want." I shook my head telling him to stay here and I would surprise him. He grinned, replying "Aye, that ye will. Alright. I think I have a question for ye then. How do these relationships work? I've heard if them, but never knew anyone actually in one before." 

I nodded at him as I walked into the kitchen. I opened the fridge, grabbed a beer for him, a pitcher of water and some glasses, the tray of cookies and cupcakes, and headed back into the living room, thinking carefully about how to answer that question. Finally, as I set the tray down and handed Jack the beer, I opted for simple honesty. "Well, I can't speak for anyone else, but for me, it was different with each relationship. I have been in three poly relationships in the past, so most of my relationships were the 'standard' two person type. My first polyamorous relationship was when I was fifteen between me, a boy named Carl, and my best friend at the time, Deedee. It ended when Carl died in a car crash our junior year of high school and Deedee nearly killed herself because of the accident. Eventually, she recovered, but she stopped talking to me, saying it was too much of a reminder of Carl. I still miss her, but I understood. The next one was in college. I was dating a guy who was seeing another girl. We both knew about each other, but we didn't really feel attracted to the other, just the guy. Eventually the other girl got pregnant and they got married. I still keep in touch with them, so it was all cool. Does that answer your question, Jack?"

Jack looked thoughtful as he said "Yeah. So if we agree to a relationship with you, we wouldn't have to be dating each other as well? I mean Mark's great and all, but..." I laughed.

That seemed to have shaken Mark out of whatever state he was in. "Hey! I'm a catch, I'll have you know." 

I grinned, nodding and growled out in a sexy voice "I know." I licked my lips and winked. He blushed the same scarlet color as his hair. Jack laughed, elbowing Mark in the side. Finally, Mark grabbed a glass and some water. I grabbed a cupcake and waited to see what further questions they would ask me. Jack eyed my cupcake. I snorted, making both of them crack up. "Dammit Jack! There are more cupcakes right there. Now I have frosting on my nose. "

Jack waggled his eyebrows "Sexy frosting. Besides ye took tha best cupcake for yerself." He was pouting a very fake pout.

I stuck out my tongue, saying "Actually, Dan or Arin probably got the best cupcake. I made these and took them to the Grump party last week." 

"Rejected cupcakes? We don't even get fresh?" Mark looked crushed.

"Oh, your getting fresh, just not fresh cupcakes. Now behave. Try a cookie."

Mark did and immediately started making super sexy noises. I to keep from attacking him right then, when Jack grabbed a cookie and added his groan. I got up from the couch and went in the kitchen. I was going to drown myself in the sink I had decided. Just then there was a knock on my front door. I ignored the sexy noises from the living room and tried to calm my blushes as I walked to answer it. When I looked through the peephole, I was confused. Why couldn't I see anyone? I cautiously opened the door to reveal Wade, Molly, Mandy, and Bob. Wade started to fall over as I opened the door, because he had been leaning against it, blocking the peephole. I said, 'Hi everyone what's up?" Just then a particularly loud and sexual sounding groan came from the living room. All eyes went to me. I blushed so hard I thought I was going to pass out.

Molly asked, "Are we interrupting something?"

I started to shake my head as Jack yelled "Where'd ye go [y/n]?"

Bob and Wade shared a look and Bob pulled $10 out of his wallet. Just then Mark yelled out "Come back [y/n]. We miss you." Molly and Mandy goggled. Wade looked shocked and slightly scandalized. Bob started laughing and pulled out another $10 to hand to Wade. Just then both men walked into the hall, hands and mouths full of cookies. They looked startled and then guilty as they noticed the crowd at the door. Everyone froze for a long moment. Finally, Bob started to reach over to take the money back from Wade, but Mandy smacked his hand away, telling him if he had such a dirty mind and made bets, he deserved to lose money. That broke the tension and I asked Molly, Mandy, Bob, and wade if they wanted to come in. 

Molly eyed Mark and Jack. She turned to Mandy and looked at her for a minute and then grabbed Wade and dragged him off saying "Nope, you're clearly busy. We were just going to ask you to join us for dinner. Maybe another time! Bye." Mandy grabbed Bob's arm and dragged him off as well. I closed the door and turned back to Jack and Mark, who still looked startled.

"So you like my cookies, huh?" They nodded. "How about some real food. I have lasagna, chili, tacos, or a chicken stir-fry that can be ready in about fifteen minutes. What sounds good?"

They stared at me for a minute. Finally Jack said "Lasagna?" I nodded. Grabbed the pan, removed the foil from the top and stuck it in the oven to reheat. I set the timer and grabbed plates and forks, setting them on the island for when the food was done. I bustled around the kitchen, making a salad to go with the lasagna, slicing some fresh bread, getting out dressing and butter. and generally getting the meal ready. Mark and Jack were sitting at the island, watching me work. Eventually, I asked them what they were thinking. The silence was making me nervous. Finally, Jack spoke up. "I don't know about Mark, but I'm just trying to process what ye told us earlier. I don't really have any questions, yet, but I'm still trying ta wrap my head around it. Is that okay?" I nodded relief evident in my face, because from what Jack said next I must have looked close to panic. "[y/n] did someone say something bad about this ta ye before? Like when ye were in a relationship? Ye looked like ye were going to faint for a while there, and that's the only explanation I can think of." 

I swallowed hard, and admitted "Yes. I had one man slap me and call me a whore with no morals when I told him about my past. Another guy tried to choke me to death. Fortunately, we were in a public restaurant, so the wait staff pulled him off me. Even my last ex, the one who broke up with me just before I got this job, didn't handle it well. He didn't hit me, but he called me a slut, a whore, and a number of other things I am not going to repeat any time we got in an argument, blaming it on my past. I lost a number of friends over time because of this too. That's why I made you guys promise to try not to let this come between us. It would break my heart, if my telling you this caused a problem." Mark and Jack looked sad, upset, and angry when I told them about some of my past encounters. I was mostly over these things, only occasionally having a nightmare about one of them. As I finished talking, the oven timer beeped. I pulled out the lasagna, grabbed the grated cheese, a serving utensil, and told them with a smile "Dinner is served. Now what do you want to drink with dinner?"

I got everyone their drinks and sat down between the two men at the island. It was quiet except for the sounds of people eating, and the occasional comment from Mark or Jack about how good the food was or to pass something to someone else. Eventually, I relaxed, just enjoying the presence of the other two people. After dinner, I cleaned up and invited them to go back into the living room. It was time to discuss what was going to happen next. Where was this headed? Would we be just friends or would there be a relationship? If we were going to have a relationship, we would need to hammer out some rules, boundaries, and guidelines that everyone was comfortable with. I took a deep breath before following the men into the living room. Showtime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter already?! Yup. And I think you can expect chapter 14 later today as well. :)
> 
> Hope everyone is enjoying, now that we are finally starting to see some relationship development. Once again thank you for the kudos and comments. Have a fab day! ;)


	14. Relationships?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The relationship talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extra chapter, and a long one too! Some serious talk and some cute, fluffy moments. :)

I sat down before Jack and Mark, claiming the middle cushion of the couch. Jack immediately sat down next to me on the left and Mark sat down next to me on the right. I think they knew what was coming next. Before I even opened my mouth to say anything Mark reached over and grabbed my hand. "[y/n], I'm sorry that anyone ever treated you poorly in the past. I won't speak for Jack, but I wish I could just kick the ass of all the bastards who ever hurt you. Thank you for trusting me. I am interested in being in a relationship with you, I'm just not sure how to go ahead from here. Can you help explain it? If Jack is even interested, I mean." Mark looked at Jack who was scowling at him 

"Ye bastard. Ye stole my speech!"

I laughed. Well, this was going much better than I had hoped. I hugged Mark and then turned and hugged Jack. Then I started explaining what we would need to do, moving forward. "Okay. We will need to set some rules and boundaries. No one is going to have to do anything they are truly uncomfortable with. We will have to sit here and figure this out, including what we tell people before it comes up. It prevents a lot of panic, anxiety, and dishonesty. Also, if you guys are both agreeing to be in a polyamorous relationship with me, which it sounds like you are, are you going to be in a relationship with each other as well? We'll need to figure all of these things out, and the sooner the better. Especially since we work together and work with the people we work with. I think Bob and Wade are going to be asking a few questions tomorrow, so we should be prepared. Let's start with the basics. Are you both agreeing to a relationship with me?"

The guys nodded with no hesitation. Jack said "Of course. Ye're amazing." I blushed a little.

"Now for a harder question, are you two going to be in a relationship with each other?" Both men looked at the floor. Jack bit his lip. I spoke up again "Remember guys, I'm not judging here. If you don't want to fine. If you do, fine. There are benefits to either situation. I will say if you do have a relationship with each other as well, I will not be telling anyone about it. It's totally up to you."

Mark finally looked up at Jack. "You're one of my best friends. I really can't stand the thought of things getting weird between us. I know my feelings for you are a little fuzzy. What do you think?"

Jack looked vaguely offended "Fuzzy? As in unclear, or as in ye like me? I might have a bit of a crush, but I think I can control myself if "

Mark cut him off "A crush? Really?" The hope was almost painful in Mark's voice at this. Jack blushed beet red and nodded, looking down. I hugged him, he was just so cute and unsure. Mark looked stunned. "A crush. I had no idea you felt that way about me too." Suddenly Mark was the one blushing and staring at the floor. I reached over and pulled him into the hug.

"So," I said to recap the awkward moment "you both have feelings for each other, but you were to afraid to tell the other one for fear of screwing up your friendship. Okay. So you two will be dating as well." They both nodded slightly, staying leaned into me, not wanting to release me from the hug. "Guys, you can let me go. Let's sit back and you can lean on me if you want or we can find a comfy way to snuggle to discuss this, but this position isn't all that good for my back." They let me go, and we all shifted into a more comfortable position, with me sitting back, Jack leaned into me with his feet curled up next to him, and Mark leaning on my other side, propping his feet on the edge of the coffee table and reaching his arm out over both my shoulders and around Jack's as well. Both men rested their heads on mine as I asked the next question. "So what do we tell people? And by people I mean friends and family. We should tell them whatever we decide to say first. Eventually, you guys might have to make an announcement on your channels, but that should wait a little while, at least." 

Jack spoke up. "Um, I'll probably tell my family over Skype. They may want to meet ye, [y/n]. They have mostly met Mark in the past, between having me call from his house, and me calling him from Ireland. I don't think it will be any problem."

I nodded and looked at Mark. He closed his eyes tiredly. "I can call my moms and Tom tomorrow if you want. They will probably be really happy for me, but they may want to talk to the two of you as well. Also, be prepared for invitations to family gatherings."

I laughed. "Oh yeah, I have a big extended family as well and we always get together whenever we can. They mostly live back on the East coast though, so I haven't seen them since I moved out here. I love getting together with family though. I don't mind talking to or meeting families right away either. Now what to we tell Bob, Wade, Matt, and Ryan? I know they are going to ask." 

Jack made a face. "Well, let's just tell them we are both dating [y/n] and that we have an arrangement worked out. If we have ta tell them anything." I looked at him questioningly. "Well, if we wanted ta, we could just say we stopped in ta talk about our recording schedules and ye were feeding us. Just bring some of tha cookies and cupcakes in. I doubt anyone will question it." 

Mark laughed. "That's true. I don't like the idea of lying to them though. Let's just see if they ask. [y/n] be sure to bring in some of those cookies though, if we don't eat them all tonight. Where on earth did you get them from? They are super addictive." Jack nodded, grabbing another cookie to nibble on as we continued to talk. Mark leaned over and did the same.

I laughed. "Eat all you want, I can make more. I also have a rather large number of them in the freezer. They are my secret recipe, the one I haven't even given my family, that everyone always makes me bring to every event I go to. I actually really enjoy cooking, but I rarely have the time. When I do, I tend to go on a cooking spree, which is why I have a second freezer in the laundry area. It helps when I don't have the time and energy to cook and am sick of takeout. This weekend, I was supposed to fill it, but I had some visitors, who I will introduce you to tomorrow, so I didn't get as much cooking done as I had planned. I did manage to complete fill the refrigerator freezer though, and have quick meals ready for this week, but I have hardly been home lately. I was planning on having a party at work soon, so I will have to take a day, or at least an afternoon to do some cooking. But yes, I will bring the cookies in to work tomorrow. And I will give you each some to take home tonight." I smiled at both of them as they bounced up and down like excited children. "While we are on the subject of food, do you guys have any favorite foods you want me to learn to make? I always try to learn my boyfriends favorites, so I can make the dishes for them." 

Mark smiled. "Chicken and dumplings." I grinned, it was a dish I already knew how to make. "What? Why are you grinning like that?"

"I can already make that. Maybe the next time we have a free weekend, I'll invite you over. " Mark's eyes gleamed as he smiled happily and nodded. I turned to Jack. "How about you Jack? Any favorites?"

"Well, pizza is my favorite meal, but that's takeout. I dunno. I'll think about it."

I laughed. "Jack, sweetie, I can make homemade pizza too. It's way different than takeout, and I think anyway, way better. Okay. Pizza and chicken and dumplings. I don't even have to learn any new dishes." 

Just then Mark spoke up. "Okay, [y/n], you know our favorites, now what's yours?" 

"Well, that's a little hard to pin down. I have more than one favorite. I love lasagna, Japanese food, especially sushi, Korean food, and Chinese food. I like Indian and Italian food a lot too."

Jack laughed. "Sounds like me. Ye just like food." I blushed a little and nodded. "Well, that's alright. We like ye anyway." I stuck my tongue out at him, making him laugh. "Now, we really should figure some more of this stuff out." 

We all buckled down and focused, deciding on details of our relationship, what everyone was comfortable with, and generally revealing a little more about ourselves to each other for hours. I called a halt to the discussion when I looked up and saw it was nearly two in the morning. I looked at Jack and Mark, asking "Do you guys want to crash here? I can see you are both really tired. Jack I can walk you over to your apartment if you want to sleep in your own bed. Mark, I have a guest room, or the couch if you want to stay here. i don't want to push anyone, or move to fast here. We need to figure this out, but we are all too tired to talk anymore tonight. " Jack yawned hugely.

Mark stood up, and nearly fell back over. "Apparently, my legs are asleep, and the rest of me is ready to follow. I'll stay here. To be completely honest, I'm too tired to drive anyway. My clothes from the convention are still in the car, so I'll grab my bag and change in the morning. Thank you." I nodded.

Jack looked up at me through half closed eyes. "I've slept here before, and I will do it again. Might as well stay tonight. Thanks." 

With a nod, I got up. "Let me show you guys where the guest room is and where the clean towels, sheets, pillows, and blankets are." Mark and Jack followed me around the apartment. Finally, I stopped at my room. "Okay, guys goodnight. This is my room. I'll see you in the morning." Without another word I entered my bedroom and shut the door. I hurried into my bathroom and got ready for bed, smiling to my self. When I was ready, I opened my bedroom door, going out into the hall and turning off lights. When I got to the living room, I was surprised to see it was completely empty. I shrugged to myself. Maybe Jack was in the bathroom and Mark was in the guest room, or out at his car. I continued shutting off lights, only leaving the small hall light on. I walked back to my bedroom. 

When I got there, Jack and Mark were sitting on the bottom edge of my bed. I looked at them, startled. Before I could even say anything, Mark spoke up. "Jack and I were talking. We agree it's too early in the relationship for anything to happen, but we want to sleep in here with you and just cuddle. If that's okay with you?" I nodded, walked over and put my phone on to charge, and climbed up behind the guys to crawl under the covers. They each crawled up beside me and climbed under the covers. We all got comfortable, and soon everyone drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the wonderful comments and kudos! This story really seems to have a following and I love it. Have a fab day! ;)


	15. Lia, the Fangirl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After your discussion of the previous night, you wake up sandwiched in a snuggle pile. :) But then it's off to work and introducing your friends to the guys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was grinning way to much at the image of a snuggle pile when I wrote this. XD 
> 
> There will be more romance soon, and when the actual smut starts the rating will be bumped up to E. THIS IS YOUR ONLY WARNING!! There may (or may not, I haven't decided yet) be kinks, so no kink shaming!

When I woke up to the sound of the alarm, I groaned and started to stretch, only to realize I couldn't actually move. Some how, during the night, I had ended up going from snuggled between Mark and Jack, to sandwiched between them. Plus, the way they were laying on the bed had me pinned in a position. I actually started to giggle at my thoughts, because I was mentally calling it a snuggle pile-up, picturing how a newscaster would describe it. Mark and Jack hadn't yet woken up, but I was fairly sure the alarm would wake them as I couldn't reach it to shut it off. Mark actually seemed to be starting to wake up now, I thought to myself, when suddenly he leaned up and nuzzled the back of my neck, making me squirm a bit, which caused Jack to open one sleepy eye and smile at me. Suddenly, Jack rolled off me, his eyes wide. "[Y/n] are ye okay? I didn't mean ta crush ye there! Sorry, sorry. And what time is it?"

I rolled off Mark and shut off the alarm. "Don't worry about it Jack. But it is time to get up for work. Now, I have two bathrooms so how are we going to get ready this morning? Any suggestions?"

Mark groaned, "Come back, I don't wanna get up yet. You were so warm and soft." I giggled again and hit him with a pillow. "Hey! Ugh, alright. alright, I'm awake, no need for violence. Jack do you want to run home and shower and get ready? I mean since it is just next door and all..." Jack nodded. I smiled, that solved all our problems. Mark rolled off the bed, stood up, stretched, and announced, "I'm going to go take a shower in the other bathroom and let you get ready in here, [y/n], unless you want the company." The last part was said with a very hopeful look on his face, causing Jack to scowl slightly.

"Ye couldn't have offered that before suggesting I go home, Mark?"

I laughed softly and told them both "Out you go. I am fine on my own." Which got muttered 'you can say that again' type comments from both of them. I stood up and tried to push Mark out the door, but he didn't budge, apparently enjoying thwarting my efforts. I made an exaggerated pouty face and sat back down on the end of the bed, crossing my arms. "Meany." Mark stuck out his tongue. Jack started laughing and soon Mark joined in. I held on to the fake pout as long as I could before also bursting out laughing. Finally, everyone settled back down and we split up to get ready for going back in to work. Eventually, we were all ready to go, and Mark asked if he could ride in with Jack and I. I looked at him curiously as I nodded. "Why do you need a ride Mark?" Mark blushed and mumbled something. "What did you say?"

Mark's blush got brighter as he said, "I don't have enough gas to get to work." Jack laughed out loud. I nodded understanding. We all headed out to my car. Jack and Mark nearly got in to a fight over who would sit in the front seat, until I glared at them both and told them I would decide who sat where. They both started whining at me, and I told them with mock seriousness if they didn't behave I would make them both sit in the back seat and I would put my purse on the front seat. They both looked surprised and then apologized. I nodded and told them Mark would sit up front on the drive in and Jack would on the way home. Mark then climbed in the front seat and asked "Can we stop for some coffee and food, maybe? I didn't grab any food from your house [y/n] this morning." I gasped and told them I would be right back. I ran inside and grabbed one of the bags of cookies from the freezer and the platter of cupcakes from the counter, before dashing back to the car. I popped the trunk and put the food in, closed the trunk again, got back in and started driving. I stopped at the cafe by work and we all piled out of the car and went in getting breakfast and some drinks. We all got back in the car and I drove across the street and I parked the car in my spot. We all got out and I grabbed my purse, my drink, my food, and the food from the trunk. Mark came over and grabbed the platter of cupcakes, which were perched on the edge of my arm. I thanked him and Jack opened the doors to the elevator and office for us. We all went to my office and put the cookies and cupcakes down on the table. 

As I hung up my purse on its hook, I grabbed a pad of paper and pencil from my desk and sat down on the center cushion of the couch. I had left my tea and breakfast on the table in front of that seat, so I reached forward and grabbed them. As I settled back, Mark sat down on my right, opening his food and starting to eat. Jack sat down on my left, drinking his coffee. I perched the pad of paper on my lap, telling the guys I wanted to nail down their video schedule for the week and plan out the video order for posting. They nodded and we started discussing games while we ate. As we finished, I turned on the coffee pot, grabbed a bottle of iced tea from the fridge, and followed them out of my office to the recording booths. They both headed in and started recording. I went into my monitoring booth, but left the door open so I could hear what was going on in the office as people came in. Around ten thirty Bob and Wade came in. I poked my head out of the booth and greeted them. They came over and asked me why Mark's car was still in the lot at our complex. "Oh" I had forgotten about that "Mark and Jack and I were talking about their recording schedule and what games they were going to be filming for a while until fairly late. When we finished up, Mark told me he didn't have enough gas to get either here this morning or home last night. I let him stay at my apartment, since I have a decent couch and a guest room." Bob looked a little suspicious of the story, but he didn't say anything.

Wade looked at me for a long moment before he said "Okay. I can see that. Now what was the story with the sexy noises when we stopped by last night. Did we interrupt something?" 

I blushed and laughed. "I hate to disappoint you, but they were eating cookies." They both raised their eyebrows. "No, really. I brought some in today. The cookies are in a bag on the table in my office. There are also some cupcakes, too. Help yourselves." Wade took off at a fast walk, but Bob tried to stare me down. It didn't work too well, however, because I was prepared for his reaction. Suddenly we heard a yell from my office. I turned and saw Wade trying to stuff a cupcake and three cookies in his mouth at once. I giggled and both of us headed toward him. I called out "Wade, you goof, one at a time! You'll choke and Molly will come after me." Bob chuckled when he heard me. 

We got to my office in time to keep Wade from choking, but only just. After he calmed down, he said "Okay, now I totally believe you. These are incredible! Where did you buy them? Was it from the cafe across the street? Bob you gotta try these." He proceeded to shove a cookie in Bob's face. Bob laughed and took it, taking a bite. Suddenly his eyes got huge and he started eating the cookie as fast as he could. He grabbed a couple more as I laughed.

"Well, Wade, as hard as it is to believe. I didn't buy them anywhere. I made them. I took them to the Grump party last Thursday. These were extras that I had frozen. Jack and Mark were just being over the top, when you knocked on the door. I was super embarrassed, especially with how you all reacted. I know it sounded bad, but I swear it was innocent!"

Bob said around his cookie "Okay, after tasting this, I can understand things a bit more. Can I take some of these for Mandy?"

Wade said, "Yeah, Molly will want some too. Oh man, she'll kill me if she finds out how good these are and I didn't at least try to get her some. You don't want to be responsible for my death now, do you [y/n]?"

I laughed. "Guys, have them stop by my apartment tonight, after I get home, I have more cookies in the freezer, plus the ones I have left from the party, if Jack and Mark haven't eaten them all. Looks like I'll have to start making them all the time to keep on hand for all of you." I laughed again, asking "Do either of you guys need any other food? I kind of went a bit crazy with the cooking while you all were at the convention, and I doubt even if Mark and Jack come over every night this week to play games, like they threatened last night, that we could eat all of it. Even with my other friends from out of town too. Oh, do you guys mind meeting a couple of people this afternoon? I have two dear friends from home who are staying in LA for a little while and they really wanted to meet all of you. They are coming in this afternoon, well, actually, I'm meeting them for lunch around twelve at the cafe." 

Bob and Wade nodded. Wade immediately got out his phone and texted Molly, so he wouldn't forget. Bob said "Sure. We love meeting fans. And any friends of yours are definitely people we want to meet." I nodded my thanks and excused myself to go back to the recording booth. I had work to do before lunch.

I settled in and worked on editing the first of Jack's videos for the day. I finished up just as Mark and Jack were finishing the second videos of the day and it was time to wrap up for lunch. I got the videos from them and took everything back to my office. As got got in the room, I noticed Jack and Mark were following me. I grabbed my purse and keys after I set the hard drive with the videos on my desk. Immediately Jack asked me "Where are we going?"

I looked at him. "We? I am going out to lunch with friends. I don't know what you and Mark are doing. I gotta go, see you in an hour or so." Before they could ask me any questions, I rushed out of my office. I jumped in the elevator and drove to the cafe, since it was raining quite hard. A few minutes later, I got up and waved. Lia and Greg had just arrived. We walked up to the counter and ordered our food. Just as we started looking around for a table, I groaned. Jack, Mark, Bob, and Wade walked in. Lia saw them and practically squealed in my ear, actually jumping up and down, and pulling my left arm. Greg looked excited as well, but didn't fanboy nearly as visibly. He grabbed my other arm and grinned hugely when Jack and Mark waved to me. I extracted my arms and walked over, trailing Lia and Greg like ducklings. When I stopped in front of the YouTubers, I crossed my arms and said in a grumpy voice "What are you doing here? I don't remember telling you where I was going or inviting you along." 

Wade said, "Well, you told Bob and I and we were all hungry, so we decided to join you anyway. Who are your friends?"

I turned back to them. Lia was bouncing up and down again with excitement. I sighed. "Lia, Greg, you know who these stalkers are. Guys, this is Lia Donaldson and Greg Silver. They are my two best friends from home and they surprised me on Thursday night after I got home from the party." Everyone shook hands and started chatting while I looked for a table. There wasn't one big enough for all of us, so I turned back to the group. "Lia, Greg, do you mind if we eat over at my office? Guys you can order your food and meet us." Everyone nodded agreement. The guys went over and ordered their food, asking them to deliver it when it was ready and headed back over to the office. I turned to Lia and Greg. "Hey, where are you guys parked?"

Greg blushed. "Um, we had a problem with the rental car, so we called a cab to get here. We were hoping you could give us a ride home after you were done with work."

I shook my head. "Sorry. I have Mark and Jack riding with me. We might all be able to squeeze in my car, but we'll have to check with them before we head out, or I can call you a cab if that doesn't work." Lia raised her eyebrows at me. "Mark and Jack are riding with me because Jack doesn't have a car and he is my next door neighbor. We both get to work at the same time and it's just easier for everyone if he rides in with me. Mark was driving him home from the airport last night. They ended up stopping at my apartment to talk to me about their video schedule. By the time we were done and Mark was ready to go home, he admitted he didn't have enough gas in his car to get home or to work from there. The gas station that he would have been able to drive to was already closed for the night. I drove him in this morning when he and Jack were ready to go." Lia and Greg nodded understanding. Just then our number was called and our food was ready. I ushered them out to my car after we got the food and paid. We drove through the rain and parked in my spot, which Jack had also chalked his name on the spot in bright green chalk. Lia giggled over this for the whole elevator ride up to the office floor. I led them back to my office to eat, promising a tour after we ate and the YouTubers were working on the TV show for the afternoon. I popped my head in Matt's office and introduced my friends to Matt and Ryan as well, asking Matt if he was on the filming schedule today, or if he was editing with me this afternoon. He checked the schedule and told me he was all mine for the afternoon. I grinned and told him he knew where to find me. Finally, after a few of my crew stopped me to ask questions, we got to my office. I hung up my purse on its hook, and asked Greg and Lia if they had anything they wanted to stash out of the way for the afternoon, showing them the closet in my bathroom. I explained that was the most secure location around, since the bathroom locked and my office was almost always open to everybody on the floor, not that I mistrusted anyone, but you never know, right? They both declined and I grabbed two spare office chairs for them to sit on while we ate. The sat down and rolled over next to the couch were Bob, Wade, and Mark were sitting. I sat down on the other couch and unbagged my food. I had gotten a salad, mixed fresh fruit, a cup of soup, and a yummy looking panini with spinach, cheese, peppers, roasted mushrooms, and steak. When I saw that was the sandwich of the day, I had not been able to resist, and it smelled fantastic. I looked around, glad to see my new friends weren't being to obnoxious around the YouTubers, when I realized Jack wasn't there. Lia must have realized the same thing, because she immediately asked where he was. 

Mark grinned and said "We elected him the food messenger. He's waiting for the delivery as we speak." I shook my head at them, reminding the YouTubers that the office secretary knew to buzz the delivery guy up. Mark looked sheepish for a second. "We forgot." I grabbed my phone and texted Jack. He was in my office in under a minute, glaring at Mark, Wade, and Bob. Lia giggled. I shook my head at the antics and dug into my food. Jack sat down next to me and tried to steal some of my food. I swatted his hand away and he pouted. Mark commented "Jack just be patient or eat a cookie." 

Jack's blue eyes lit up like fireworks. "I forgot about tha cookies! Yer a genius Mark. I'm starving!" He grabbed the bag of cookies and pulled out a few, offering them to Mark, Bob, Wade, Greg, and finally Lia, before putting them down in front of the two of us on the table.

Lia giggled as she watched Jack devour the cookies, practically biting his fingers. "Slow down Jack. I know [y/n]'s cookies are amazing, but I promise they don't try to run away after they are baked. Did you forget to eat this morning or what?"

Before Jack could answer, I piped up. "I know he ate breakfast. We stopped on the way in and got food and coffee. Well, Mark and Jack got coffee. I got tea." Just then the food arrived, the YouTubers paid, and everyone settled in to eat. After we finished, the guys took their leave to go to the TV set for the afternoon, and I took Lia and Greg on a more thorough tour. I introduced the rest of my crew to Lia and Greg, who were impressed that I was in charge of other people, and we headed back to my office where Matt and Ryan were waiting. Ryan apparently was not filming today either and he wanted to hang out, so he, Lia, and Greg sat down on one of the couches and started playing video games while Matt and I worked on editing videos. I finished both of Jack's videos by about two thirty, so I asked Matt if he needed help with Mark's. He looked up a little surprised.

"Um, yeah, that would be amazing. I have actually been working on the videos for my channels, so I haven't even started them yet. Matt blushed a little as he admitted this. I laughed and started editing, quickly and efficiently. I had just finished the first one when everyone came in for the afternoon break. Mark and Jack came over to see how the editing was coming along. I was able to tell Jack his videos were done and added to the queued lineup, after a few of his backlog. I turned to Mark told him the first video was done and I was going to start the second one after the break, so I should be done by the time we were ready to go home. I didn't mention I had done the first one, but Matt spoke up. "[Y/n] is a superstar editor. I was working on videos for Ryan's and my channels and she took over both your videos for today after she finished Jack's. I know you guys didn't give her the videos until right around lunch either. Just thought you might want to know." I blushed and smiled. Lia gave me a interested look, which I ignored as Mark and Jack both expressed amazement. 

After the break, I finished editing the second video, double checked the upload queues for both YouTubers, rearranging as needed, and stood up to stretch. It was probably about five forty five, I guessed without looking at the clock. The guys would be finishing up in another hour or so. Since I had time to kill, I checked with the TV crew, making sure I wasn't needed, before heading back to my office. There was a project I had been dying to try, but hadn't really had the time for until now. I was going to try my hand at animation. I had finished about half the animation video when everyone wrapped up and headed into my office. When I heard them coming, I saved my work and closed the animation program before anyone could see what I was doing and started shutting my computer down for the night. We were actually going to get out of here at a reasonable time tonight! I asked Jack and Mark if they minded a few extra passengers on the ride home tonight. I mentioned Lia and Greg's problem so they knew who I meant, telling them we would swing by the hotel and drop them off before we went back to the apartments. I told Mark it should be early enough he could go get gas for his car and get home to Chica tonight. He laughed. "Chica is at a doggie hotel, so I can't actually get her until tomorrow anyway. They are closed after six. Unless Matt or Ryan got her yesterday?" He looked at his friends, who were shaking their heads no. "Well, she usually seems to like staying there, so she'll be fine. I can hang out with Jack, and maybe you can feed us both?" He looked at me pleadingly. I looked up to see Jack giving me puppy dog eyes as well. 

Wade and Bob saw this and were laughing, saying 'You must be mean if you can avoid the power of both of them' and 'if you don't feed them, the two of them might starve to death, and then you'll have to deal with very angry fans'. Lia joined in and gave me a mock glare. I held up my hands in defeat, only saying that Mark and Jack could stay over to play games and eat if Mark got gas first. I knew the excuse wouldn't fly a second night.

As we all headed out to our cars, I let Wade, Matt, Ryan, and Bob take the first elevator down, while I signaled Jack, Mark, Lia, and Greg to wait with me for the elevator to come back up. When it got there, we all got in and I told Lia and Greg that I had promised Jack could sit up front on the ride home, telling them about the argument this morning. Lia and Greg laughed as Jack and Mark blushed and looked down at the floor, like naughty school children. Mark got in on one side of the car and Lia and Greg got in the other, with Lia sitting in the middle. Jack looked back and asked "How come Mark always gets to sit next to the pretty girls?" I gave him a playful smack on the arm as I buckled up. He turned to me and gave me a wink so that Greg and Lia couldn't see, adding " Not that [y/n] isn't pretty too."

Greg laughed and commented "Real smooth dude," making Mark and Lia laugh as well. We joked and laughed the whole way back to the hotel, and I got out and gave them a hug before saying goodbye to them. They promised to call me after they got done with the rest of the tourist stuff they wanted to do, or so we could get together for the weekend, whichever came first. I got back in the car and drive the rest of the way home, parking next to Mark's car. Mark jumped out and told me he would be back in twenty minutes and we nodded and headed inside our separate apartments. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay 
> 
> 1) Thanks for all the comments, kudos and love for the story. It kind of blows my mind how much people are digging this. I love reading the comments and seeing what people have to say. :)
> 
> 2) REMINDER- No updates this weekend (6/17 - 6/19), probably. I may try to squeeze in a chapter or two, but I have a family event, so I will be away for the weekend. I'll try not to leave it on a cliffhanger. XD
> 
> 3) Instead of this fiction, I post post a short fiction or two at times. I am reminding you all of this because I have an idea kicking around, but I might wait and post write it over the weekend I am away, to post as an extra. We'll see.
> 
> 4) Don't forget, I take requests. Email me or send me a message if you have an idea you want to see me write.
> 
> Well, that's all for this time. I may go back and edit some of the notes on previous chapters, but probably not. As always, have a fab day! ;)


	16. Box of Doom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Mark gets back and Molly and Mandy come over and get some cookies, and the unexpected happens. Now what?

About five minutes after I got home, Molly and Mandy appeared on my doorstep. I invited them in, very glad I had told Jack to go to his apartment until Mark got back. I went into the kitchen to get some of the cookies, but when I turned around to ask Molly a question, I saw that the girls had followed me. They had a very determined look in their eyes. I gave an internal sigh and waited for the inevitable questions. Molly spoke up first, "I don't know what you told Wade and Bob, but you better spill. What was that little scene about last night? And don't pretend, we were watching and Mark never went home last night. We aren't sure about Jack, though." Mandy nodded.

I turned around and made myself busy bagging up cookies for them to take home and offering them some to try now as I thought furiously. Finally, I opted for something close to the truth. "Jack and Mark came by last night to talk. I gave them some of these cookies and cupcakes and they started making the noises you heard when you stopped by. They both stayed pretty last and Mark didn't have enough gas to get home, or even to work this morning, so he stayed here. I have a guest room, you know. Anyway, I drove them both in to work this morning and home tonight. Mark immediately left to go to the gas station when we got back here. He's going to go home and unload his car after he gets gas and then he and Jack are going to hang out and play games. They begged me to make them dinner, but I plan on dropping it off at Jack's apartment and then coming back here to have a quiet evening if I can. I have friends in town who may call and want me to do something, or Jack and Mark may want me to play a multiplayer game with them after I deliver the food. Does that answer your questions?" I looked back at them somewhat nervously. There were no outright lies in my statement, only a few implied lies and half truths. They didn't need to know everything.

Mandy looked at me suspiciously, but then she grabbed a cookie suddenly and took a little bite. Her eyes got huge and she whispered something to Molly. Molly looked skeptical, but picked up a cookie and broke of a piece, popping it in her mouth. As soon as she bit down however, her whole body language changed. She rolled her eyes up into her head and started making odd little humming noises. Mandy giggled and finished eating her cookie. She eyed another, but didn't take one. Eventually, she spoke up. "So, after tasting this we can kinda see why they might have been making those noises. And Mark definitely could have forgotten to get gas before he got here last night. The guys were really exhausted from the convention. I know that gas station closes pretty early, so I guess your story checks out. Okay, we believe you. For now." I smiled, handed them the bags of cookies and told them to have a good evening. Then I turned back to the kitchen to cook dinner. 

Half an hour later, dinner was ready, and I was just waiting for Jack or Mark to text me they were ready to eat, when I heard a loud noise from Jack's apartment. I rushed out my front door and banged hard on his door. A few seconds behind me was Dan, who grinned up at me from the bottom step. "I guess you heard it too?" I nodded. Finally, Jack opened the door, holding his shoulder and a large bruise starting to form on his forehead. I hissed in sympathy and Dan asked him "Are you okay man? That sounded terrible. [y/n] and I both heard it through the walls and we had to come check. What happened?"

Jack grimaced. "Come on in. I'm going ta need help now anyway. I was trying to get a heavy box down outta me closet and it fell on me. I think I dislocated me shoulder."

I made him sit down on his couch. Then I went into his kitchen and wrapped a bag of ice in a towel and told him to put it on his forehead where he got hit. Dan went to go move the box. I helped Jack take his shirt off and looked at his shoulder. I was pretty sure it was dislocated and he might have some bruised ribs from the way his back looked. I gently touched his back, making him wince and draw in a breath. He then nearly passed out. I picked up Jack's phone and looked up Mark's number. I called him, holding the phone to Jack's ear so he could talk into it. After a few minutes he nodded and had me hang up. I looked at him and told him we were going to the hospital to get his shoulder and ribs checked. He started to protest, but I stood firm. Dan, who had come back into the room during the phone call, agreed with me. "Dude, don't make us carry you out. That would be embarrassing for all of us." I reminded Jack if he got hurt and didn't get it taken care of, it could be a much longer time until he could properly record games again. He sighed and finally agreed to go. Dan helped him up and I ran back to his room and grabbed a zip up hoodie he could put on without moving his shoulder much. We helped him put it on and I thanked Dan. I then asked him if he could get Jack out to my car alone. He agreed to try and I raced back to my apartment to grab my purse, keys, and phone. While I was there I tossed the food in the fridge and made sure the stove was turned off, before running back out to my car. Dan and Jack were just getting there as I did, so I unlocked and Dan got Jack seated. He handed the seatbelt over to me, and I buckled Jack in. Jack's eyes had gotten kind of glassy looking and he was sweating. I looked at Dan, worried. Dan said, "I think he's going into shock. Hurry." I nodded and asked if he wanted to come with us. He shook hos head, asking me to text him how things went and headed back to lock up Jack's apartment and go back to his own.

I drove Jack as quickly as I could to the hospital, taking care not to hit bumps or potholes as much as was possible. When we pulled up, Jack was much paler than usual and his skin looked almost waxy. His eyes couldn't focus at all. I unbuckled his seatbelt and ran inside, asking for help and a wheelchair. A strong looking male nurse rushed out with me and helped me get Jack into the wheelchair. The nurse pushed him into the emergency room, asking me what happened. I explained as best I could, describing what I had done to assess the injury and how I had insisted he get checked out. The nurse nodded and thanked me. He took the ice out of Jack's hand and looked at his head. He had me help take off the hoodie, and called a doctor over. The doctor, a young looking woman with bright green eyes, introduced herself as Dr. Grellen. She had me repeat my story as she checked Jack over, grunting when I said I had to convince Jack to come in. Finally, she turned to me and said, "Take a deep breath. You did exactly the right things. We need to scan his head for a concussion, get him some x-rays for his ribs and shoulder, and have our orthopedic doctor look at the shoulder, but I am fairly certain it's dislocated. Does he have any family close by?"

I shook my head. "They're all in Ireland. He's my neighbor and a close friend. Can I stay with him? At least until you need to take him for testing?" Dr. Grellen's eyes softened as she nodded. I let out a shaky sigh of relief. She stepped back to go order the tests Jack needed, and I sat down on the chair next to the bed he was on. He looked over at me. I smiled a little shakily and grabbed his hand. He smiled back for a second before the pain made him grimace again. I started rubbing the back of his hand with my thumb. "Just close your eyes and relax. The doctor will be right back." He obeyed, and I kept talking to him, just saying whatever I could to take his mind off his pain and keep him anchored in the here and now. "You know, your fans are going to have a field day with this." Jack opened one eye questioningly. "I'm going to have to help you record for a while at least, or you're going to have to have Mark help you. But that will cut into his videos, so I'm not sure if that will work. There are easier ways to get us to spend more time with you, you know." I grinned and winked at him.

He gave a weak laugh. "But now I have ye in my clutches, [y/n]. Ye might even have ta help me bathe!" I blushed scarlet. Suddenly, another thought occurred to me.

"Jack, in all seriousness, how are you going to manage? Are you going to let Mark stay with you, move in with him, or will I need to take care of you? What are we going to do? Molly and Mandy were asking all sorts of questions already about why they didn't see either of you leave my apartment last night. I should text Mark what's going on. Should I text Bob and Wade too?" Jack tightened his grip in the hand I was holding and I looked up. "What? What's wrong? Do I need to go get the doctor? Is the pain worse?"

Jack started to shake his head, but stopped. "It wasn't until I tried that. No moving for Jackaboy. No sir. I just wanted ye ta calm down. Everything will be okay, ye'll see. Go call Mark. Text Wade, he'll tell Molly, Bob, and Mandy. Let Danny know too. Oooh, I think I'm gonna be sick." I grabbed a bucket and got it to him just in time. I rubbed his good shoulder as he threw up from pain and stress and called the doctor over. She told us it was probably a concussion, but she was going to get some pain meds for Jack right away. I thanked her and she sent a nurse over to help get Jack settled back down and cleaned up. A minute later, someone new appeared with medicines for Jack to take. They also informed him they were taking him down to x-ray, asking me to wait in room 212 -- where Jack would be brought back to when they were done with him. Apparently, they were admitting him, at least until morning. 

I walked up to the room and sat down on a chair in the corner, pulling my knees up to my chest. I took a minute to calm down, got out my phone and called Mark. He picked up on the first ring. "How is he?"

"Not great. They are admitting him. He has a probable concussion and they are checking for broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder. I'm in his room now, but he's down in x-ray."

"What room? I'm coming right over."

"212. Thanks Mark."

"Of course. See you in a few minutes sweetheart. Stay strong." I disconnected, feeling better. Mark was coming.

Just then a nurse came in with paperwork for me to fill in. I told her I would do the best I could, but some of it might need to wait for Jack. She nodded and left me to it. I waited to start it until after I got hold of Dan and Wade. I quickly sent Dan a text, explaining everything. He sent back a quick reply, saying he would help however he could and told me to hang in there. I smiled a little, before bringing up Wade's number. I decided a call would be better than a text for this. Molly answered on the fourth ring. "Hey Molly, it's [y/n]. Can I ask a favor? Can you get Mandy, Bob, and Wade. I need to talk to you all. I'll wait on the phone. Thanks."

"Just a minute. They are all over here anyway. What's up? You sound like something's really wrong. Is everything okay? Wait just a sec, okay, were all here now."

"Thanks Molly. Can you put the phone on speakerphone and set it down? Great. Can everyone hear me?" I heard a chorus of yeah's and yeses. "Jack was in an accident a little while ago in his apartment. A really heavy box fell out of the top of his closet and hit him hard. He's in the hospital right now getting checked out, but they are admitting him, at least overnight. He hurt his ribs, shoulder, and head. They think he has a concussion, a dislocated shoulder, and bruised or cracked ribs." I let out a small sob, unintentionally. "Dan and I heard the noise and went to check on him. I made him come in. He tried to refuse, but I drove him in. I'm waiting in his room now. I just wanted to let you guys know. I doubt Jack or I will be in at work tomorrow. From what it sounded like, they might release him in the morning, but only if someone is here to help him."

I stopped to take a breath, when Wade asked "Are you okay? Do you need us to come in too?"

I let out a shaky breath. "No. Mark is on the way, and I sort of doubt they are going to let any of us stay long. I think they might think I'm his wife. I don't want to leave, so I'm not going to correct them right now. I already texted Dan to let him know what's going on."

Bob spoke up. "Keep us in the loop too, okay? And [y/n], please, take care of yourself too. It sounds like you are barely hanging on. If you need to cry, let yourself, okay? Don't bottle it up. We'll talk to you soon." I wished them goodnight and hung up. I put my phone in my purse with numb fingers, accidentally dropping my purse after I did so. I couldn't fall apart. Jack was the one who got hurt, not me. I felt tears threatening and forced them back, resting my face on my knees. I just stayed like that until I felt a hand on my shoulder. I jumped, looking around wildly. Mark had gotten there while I was trying to hold it together. He said nothing about the tear stains on my knees, which I was trying to ignore. I stood up and he hugged me. I leaned into him and just stayed that way for a long time. Finally, we both sat down on the little bench along the wall, out of the way, waiting for news on Jack. I rested my head on Mark's shoulder. He patted my arm and rubbed the back of my head and neck.

Finally, the doctor came in. She smiled when she saw me, and asked who had joined me. I introduced Mark and asked for word on Jack. "Ah yes. Jack has four cracked ribs, a broken collar bone, a torn muscle in his shoulder, but not thankfully a dislocation, and a mild concussion. We want to keep him overnight, because of the concussion, to make sure everything is okay. If you want to stay, we will look the other way, but normally visiting hours are over by now. They are bringing him up now. Do you have any questions?"

I felt faint, hearing the extent of Jack's injuries. I asked "How long until he can use his left arm for things?"

The doctor nodded, "Probably about six weeks before he can raise it much and quite a bit longer before he can do any lifting with it. Excellent question."

Mark paled a little. "What should we be watching for with the concussion?"

"Another good one. Watch for confusion, vomiting, and extreme dizziness. If he has any of these in the next few days call his doctor or bring him back in. We are sending a few prescriptions home with him for painkillers and muscle relaxants. Additionally, Jack will need to go to physical therapy for his shoulder after his ribs have healed up some." We nodded understanding. "Ah, here's the man of the hour. How are you doing there Mr. McLoughlin? How's you pain level?"

Jack looked like hell. The bruise on his forehead was angry and dark, he had large dark circles under his eyes, and his skin was still pale, waxy, and sweat covered. He looked pinched and wrung out at the same time. His hair was flopping messily in his face, and his eyes were a dull, dark blue. "I feel like hell. When can I go home?" My heart squeezed painfully to see him like this. I must have made a noise, because the doctor and Jack both turned to look at me. I was in tears again, but didn't even realize it. Mark put his hands on my shoulders and guided me over the the chair on the right side of Jack's bed, making me sit down when I just stared at it blankly. Jack reached over with his good hand, wiping away the tears from my cheeks with his thumb. "Hey now, don't cry. I'm alright. I'm tough." I closed my eyes, letting out a little sob, I had been holding in for far too long. Mark crouched down in font of me and both men tried to comfort me. I felt terribly guilty for falling apart when Jack needed me, but it was all too much. The doctor watched for a minute before she called in a nurse.

"Nurse, please bring in another bed. I'm admitting this woman for panic and anxiety. She can share the room with Mr. McLoughlin unless he objects, but I don't want her discharged in this state. I think she's on the edge of a panic attack." It was true. My breathing had started to get quite erratic and I couldn't stop crying. Panic was starting to swamp my mind as well. The nurse nodded and wheeled in a bed for me, putting me right next to Jack. The doctor then ordered sedatives for me and medications for Jack. The nurse came back with them momentarily, as well as some machinery and two cups of apple juice. Jack and I drank the juice as we took the medicine, and the nurse used the machine to check my blood pressure and pulse rate. Both were badly elevated and my heart was skipping beats. The nurse hooked me up to a monitor, hooked Jack up to a different machine, and stepped out. The doctor gave us all one last look and said to me, "I know it's stressful, but you need to try to calm down. Your heart is really struggling right now. Try and get some sleep." She turned to Mark. "Watch over them please. We will be stopping in as we do rounds but, we can't be everywhere at once." Mark nodded and settled himself into the chair at the bottom corner of the two beds. Suddenly, I could feel the medicine kick in. My eyes got heavy and my brain switched off. I tried to fight it, but suddenly I knew no more. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a little late!
> 
> Also sorry this is so grim. I didn't originally plan it this way. My story seems to have a mind of its own these days.
> 
> Have a fab day! :)


	17. A busy morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A startling discovery is made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some sweet fluffy moments to lighten this up a little. The heavy stuff should be over soon, I promise!

When I woke up, it was the next morning and I was feeling a lot better. It had been a really long time since I had had this many panic attacks, but I always hated how they made me feel, and I knew I would have to go see the doctor soon to get some anti-anxiety medications again. Before I even opened my eyes, I knew Jack was still asleep, from his gentle snoring next to me. I wondered about Mark. Did he get any sleep, or was he still awake and worrying? I opened my eyes to check on him. He was in the chair at the foot of the bed, leaned forward, with his head leaned onto his folded arms. His hair was flopping in his face, but it looked like he was still asleep. I smiled a little and rolled onto my side to look at Jack, trying not to wake anyone else up. Jack still looked terrible. His forehead was not only bruised where the box had whacked him, but there was a large lump, or goose egg there as well. I swallowed, thinking 'poor guy'. His ribs were bandaged and his arm was in a sling that was holding it immobile at his side. At least the pain wasn't making him look so ill. He looked quite peaceful in his sleep. Suddenly, one of the alarms above our heads started beeping loudly and incessantly. Was Jack okay? Two nurses came in at a run. I looked at them, confused, when they ran up to me, pushing Jack's bed further away so they could check me out. What was going on? 

Mark and Jack both woke up immediately, Mark sitting up and looking as confused as I was. Jack looked over at me, trying to look reassuring and really just looking concerned. I asked one of the nurses, "What's going on? What happened?" 

She smiled at me. "You have been on a heart monitor all night. When the doctor came in and looked at you on the early morning rounds, they turned the sound back on, so when your heart started skipping again, you set off the alarm. We had been monitoring it from the nurses station all night. The cardiac specialist of the hospital is coming in to see you really soon. You have a heart condition, that you didn't tell us about." I took this in, trying not to panic again. Deep breaths, [y/n], deep breaths. When the nurses looked satisfied, they stepped back from the bed and turned the volume back off on the monitor. They pushed Jack closer again, when he asked, and Jack reached over with his good arm and gently stroked my cheek. Mark got up and came over to rub my arm. I was grateful, but I was still worried about Jack, and said so.

Jack chuckled. "When tha doctor came in this morning, I was awake. It was a different doctor than last night, and he asked me a bunch of questions, but seemed satisfied. He told me I would probably be released around noon, or by early afternoon, at tha very latest. I am doing fine, darlin'. I'm more worried about ye. The sedative they gave ye last night was really strong and ye were out of it pretty fast. Both doctors have been checking on ye. Apparently, yer heart is skipping at least once an hour, several dozen times. From how they described it ta Mark and I, it will skip, beat normally for about eight beats, then skip again. It follows that pattern for a run of up to several minutes, before going back ta normal. I think ye scared them. I know ye scared us. Why didn't ye say ye had heart troubles?"

I looked at both men, eyes wide. "I don't. Or at least I never knew if I did. I'm so sorry to worry the two of you. I certainly didn't mean too." I looked down, I was close to tears again. I took a few more deep breaths, forcing myself to calm down. Crying certainly wouldn't help anyone. Mark sat down on the side of my bed and leaned over to give me a hug. I hugged back hard, enjoying the comforting feeling of having someone else's warmth pressed into me. I was chilled to the core from this sudden turn of events, and needed comfort. Mark seemed to realize that and just kept holding me.

A irritated noise made us both look up. Jack looked very frustrated. "Sure, Mark. Come ta her rescue while I'm stuck all tha way over here. Don't offer ta move her closer, or anything. It's not like I'm worried too." I giggled at this, feeling a huge weight suddenly lift off me. Both of these men cared for me a lot. It was sweet. Mark reluctantly released me and rolled Jack's bed over until the two bed were touching. 

Suddenly I had an idea. I scooted over as far toward Jack as I could without disconnecting any wires. Jack looked at me curiously. "Scoot your butt over this way Jack. I motioned for him to join me. He did, with a little help from Mark, so as not to hurt his ribs or shoulder. "Now Mark, there is room for you to get in next me on the other side." I gestured. "We'll have to move when the doctor comes in, but until then we can cuddle at least. Plus, we'll all feel better." Mark nodded eagerly and climbed up next to me. He gently lifted my shoulders up, putting his arm under me so he could hug both Jack and I closer, and we all settled in. This was much better. I relaxed into Mark's warm chest, my back feeling like I was wrapped in an electric blanket, but firmer. Jack had rolled onto his right (uninjured) side and was snuggling my front. I sighed gratefully and closed my eyes, just taking in the yummy smell of my two boyfriends. This was much better. I smiled, a real smile for the first time since I heard the crashing sound last night.

After just a few minutes, the doctor came in and cleared his throat. We all looked up at him, but he was smiling and gestured for us to stay put. "No, no. Don't move. You have actually helped. I don't know who's idea it was, but you have helped her calm down. Her pulse is down to normal again, her blood pressure is much better, and her stress levels are evening out. I'm Dr. Jacobs, by the way. I came in around six fifteen this morning and checked on you both." He gestured to Jack and I. "Nice to see you are awake this time Ms. [y/l/n]. Now, our cardio team has been looking over your chart and has a few questions for you. My colleague, Dr. MacBrady," he gestured to the smallish woman standing just behind him before continuing, "will be taking over. She's very good. Take care of her, Dr. MacBrady." with that, he stepped out of the room. 

The small woman stepped forward. She was probably about five foot two, slender, with very pale skin, dusted with freckles, large, excited green eyes, shining out behind her glasses, and a determined mouth set below a small, round nose. She looked a bit like a pale pixie, with long, dark, wavy, hair that was currently, at least, tucked over her shoulder in a loose ponytail and reached down her back, almost to her waist. She smiled at me, snuggled in the bed with my two guys just holding me for comfort. When she spoke, we all smiled as well, hearing an Irish accent. "Well, now. It seems ye have a bit of an unknown heart condition. We have been watching all night and ye don't seem to notice when it happens, but it could get serious. It's definitely manageable right now, but it's concerning none the less. Did ye know about it, or was this a surprise for ye as well?" I shook my head. "Well, then, we'll just nip ye down to our lab and run a few tests then, shall we? Sorry, guys, ye'll have to let her go for a tick. We'll have yer mot back right quick, I've no doubt. No, don't carry on. Pull ye socks up, now lads!" _(A/N -- This is actual Irish slang folks. If you need me to translate I will, just ask in the comments below. )_

Jack looked over at her, stuck out his tongue and said, "Where are ye from?", before giving me a tighter squeeze. I giggled as the doctor looked quite gobsmacked to hear another Irish accent. I hugged him back gently and let go, sitting up. Mark rolled off the bed, and stepped out of the way before the doctor said anything else.

"Fair play, sir. I'm here from Kells. Now, I promise to have her back to ye as soon as we can. Thanks for cooperating." With that she grabbed the end of my bed and rolled me out the door. I heard Jack trying to explain what the doctor had said as I was being pushed down the hall. The doctor turned back to me with a wink. "Tha's a fair handsome couple of men ye got there."

I blushed a little, but agreed, saying "Yeah, they are awesome. Jack's my neighbor and Mark is his best friend. It's great we all get along so well. I really appreciate having such good friends." The doctor gave me a look. 

"Right. Friends. Ye're just fooking friends. Or maybe _fooking_ friends is more accurate." I blushed hotly, feeling the hotness all the way to the tips of my ears. "Alright, calm down. I'm just joking. Now let's see what's going on with tha heart o yers, right?" We talked quietly for the rest of the way down to the cardiac studies lab. When we got there a team of people in lab coats started working on hooking me up to various machines and having me do a few things. The testing went on for about an hour, before someone wheeled me back to the room. Jack was sitting up talking to Mark when I got back. The woman who wheeled me back told me the doctor would be back in to talk to me shortly, before she left. 

Jack turned to me. "How did it go? Did the tests hurt? What did they do ta ye?" He looked worried, as did Mark. "Ye were gone for so long, we were starting ta get worried."

I smiled reassuringly at them. "Well, I think it went okay. They stuck me with a few needles, had me walk on a treadmill, and ran me through a couple of machines. It wasn't comfortable, but it didn't hurt. I hope they got some answers for me."

Mark came over and gave me a hug. I returned it and then just leaned on his shoulder as he stood between the two bed. Jack leaned on his other shoulder. He put his arms around the two of us, careful of Jack's ribs and shoulder, before he said anything. Finally, he spoke. "I'm so glad you are both safe. You can't believe how much you both had me worried. [Y/n], when I first got here last night, I thought you were going to collapse, you looked so stressed. And Jack, you scared all of us with this accident. Please, both of you, be more careful, okay? I want you both around for a long time yet. Now do you want to cuddle some more, or are you tired [y/n]? Jack and I can just chat or watch TV if you need a nap." 

"No. Cuddles sound really nice, but this time you should sit in the middle. That way the doctors can access me from the side of the bed, if they need to check my heart or blood pressure again." Jack nodded. Mark let go of the two of us and pushed the beds together, climbing up from the bottom of the bed this time. He settled in between the two of us and we all sat leaning on each other, with Mark's arms around us and Jack and I holding hands in front on Mark's stomach. We sat like this for some time, when we heard footsteps approaching. I let go of Jack's hand, but we didn't move other than that. 

We had visitors! I glanced at Jack, glad we had dropped hands when we did. Wade, Bob, Arin, Dan, Suzy, Molly, Matt, Ryan, and Mandy all squeezed into the room. It looked a bit like a clown car had been unleashed. They took one look at us all sitting there and grinned. Then they all focused on me. I could practically hear the question forming in all their minds. Who would be the one to actually ask? Dan cleared his throat, "Hey guys. We thought maybe you would want some company, Jack. So how are you? And here's the better question, what the hell is going on here? Why is [y/n] in a hospital gown?"

Jack smiled. "I'm doing fine guys. I'll be a little laid up for a bit, but nothing too serious. It turns out though, [y/n] has a heart condition. She just got back from testing, and we are waiting for tha doctor ta come back and talk ta her. We decided cuddles were in order. She's having a rough couple of days. She had another panic attack last night, which they had ta sedate her for, and they hooked her up ta monitors for her heart and breathing then. She had major heart irregularities all night."

I made a face. "Jack, stop being dramatic. It wasn't that bad. I just had my heart skip beats all night long. It didn't even wake me up."

A voice in the doorway cut through the air. "Tha's actually part o' tha problem." Dr. MacBrady looked in. "Excuse me, I want ta talk to tha patient." Everyone crowded over to Jack's side of the room. "Now, from what we can tell, ye have a small heart defect. It shouldna be causing this, but it's all we could find. Ye should be able ta feel the irregular beating, which since ye aren't noticing, probably means has been going on a while. I am prescribing ye a small, external, pacemaker. If it stabilizes yer heart, we will put a permanent one in later. If not, we will keep ye for monitoring for a few more days. I know ye wanted ta leave today, but yer not ready yet."

I made a face. "Fine. As long as it helps, I'll do what you say. " Mark gave my shoulder a squeeze and whispered 'good girl' in my ear. The doctor told us she would come back for me in a little while to insert the probe for the external pacemaker, once they had room for me in the cardiac lab or an sterile room. "Okay, see you later." I said, quietly. Everyone started chatting again after the doctor left, except for me. I was too distracted. Mark, Jack, and Dan all tried their hardest to cheer me up and distract me. Eventually, I joined in the conversation, but it was more to put them at ease then because I wanted to talk right now. After about two hours, all the visitors except Dan and Mark had left, claiming the need to go back to work, or excusing themselves for some other reason. Dan was looking at me hard. Finally, he came over and sat on side of my bed, grabbing my hand.

"Hey, pretty girl. I want to see that smile before I go. Please? I'm really worried about you. You have no idea how worried I was last night. If I hadn't been right in the middle of a call with my mom, I would have come with you last night. You looked so worried, I thought you were going to pass out from stress. Then that really short text message, the one that didn't really help me feel any better? Yeah, next time call me and let me know you are okay, alright? Shit was scary, man. I mean, you were calm in the face of the crisis, but I could tell it was getting to you, and the longer you were dealing with it, the worse you started to look. Now, can you please smile for me, a real smile? So I know you are really okay?" I smiled up into his face, leaning away from Mark for the moment. "Thanks babe. I have to go. We don't have a lot of backup games recorded and we need to record at least one today. Arin will have my head if I stay any longer." He placed a gentle kiss on my forehead and left with a "See ya later, Losers!" For Mark and Jack. 

Jack didn't say anything, but nodded a goodbye. Mark said a quiet "Bye Danny." Both guys we watching me. I waited to hear what they were going to say. Mark spoke up, asking the question both he and Jack obviously wanted an immediate answer to. "Do you have feelings for Danny too?"

I looked down at my hands. "Not exactly, I don't think. I really like him as a friend. In fact he's one of my best friends out here. I know he wants something more, but I don't want to hurt him, and I haven't exactly had the time to for that chat yet. I will talk to him soon though. I promise." Both men looked relieved. Mark released Jack and I and crawled down the bed. I watched, amused, admiring his awesome butt has he went, Jack glanced over at me and shared a wink. He knew. Mark turned around just in time to see the wink.

"What? What did I miss?" Jack and I laughed. "Are you going to tell me or not?" Jack and I shook our heads. "Fine. Meanies. I'm going to go get some food. I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?" We nodded and Mark left. Jack and I were both still sitting up, with our beds pushed together, so we scooted into the middle, just leaning on each other for comfort. A cart was wheeled in, by a business-like looking nurse.

"Lunch. You both need to eat, no complaints." She looked down at her chart. "Mr. McLoughlin, the doctor will be in check you over and determine if they are going to release you in a few hours. Ms. [y/l/n], I will take your dinner order now. Your choices are spaghetti and meatballs with a salad, baked fish and roasted veggies with rice, or soup, salad, and a sandwich." I asked what kind of fish it was. "Um, looks like cod." I made a face. I decided on the spaghetti. "Fine. You want ice cream, cake, cookies, or fruit with that?" I asked for chocolate ice cream. She nodded, wheeled the patient tables over to our beds, and gave us our food, leaving as soon as we had our trays. 


	18. Heart Troubles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack is supposed to be going home this afternoon. Will the doctor's figure out your heart issues quickly, and let you go soon, or are you going to be here a while?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just in case anyone thinks I'm being inconsistent, the reader (I/me) always refers to Dan as Dan, but Jack, Mark, Arin, and Suzy call him Danny or Dan.

After Jack and I ate our lunches (a salad and sandwich combo, with a fruit cup, cookies, and some milk), we settled back, comfortably snuggled up together and just chatted. It was really nice, and it calmed me down even more than anything else had since I woke up. He put his arm arm me and stroked my hair, almost unconsciously, as we talked. When Mark cam back, he stood in the doorway and just watched for a few minutes before we even noticed he was there. When I looked up and saw him, he grinned, telling us "You two are just too cute for words. I am so happy right now, even if you are both in the hospital." 

Jack snarked "Nice. He couldn't have ended tha sentiment without adding tha hospital bit, could he?" I giggled and motion Mark to come over and sit down with us. He did. Jack added "Just wait until ye get sick next time Mark. We'll see who 'cute' then."

I snorted with laughter, startling a laugh out of both the guys. I covered my nose and said "Jack, I don't think that was supposed to be an insult."

Jack just kept laughing. "That was too funny! And if he didn't want ta insult me he should have picked a better description. Cute is for puppies, kittens, and small things."

Mark laughed harder. "Then I used the right word, Mr. Grumpypants."

I laughed harder than either of them. "He not even wearing pants!" I gasped out. Jack and Mark looked at me. When I eventually calmed down they asked "Better?" I nodded. "Sorry, didn't mean to get hysterical." They nodded understanding. I turned to Mark, "Did you have a good break from the hospital?" He nodded. I started fussing with the blankets, smoothing out wrinkles and trying to distract myself from the fact both of them would be going home sometime this afternoon, while I would still be here. It was too depressing. I looked down at the blankets and my hands, concentrating on not crying. Jack and Mark both watched me closely, at a loss for how to handle this situation. Finally, Mark pulled me into a long, tight hug. I closed my eyes and just stayed like that as long as he would hold me. I felt Jack stroke my back gently. 

Eventually they let go, and I settled back against the pillows, emotionally drained and listless. Jack suggested I take a nap, and I was thinking about it when two doctors came in. They were there to talk to me. "Ms. [y/n] we just got some of the lab results back. A few of the tests we ran take a while, so we couldn't get them to you any sooner. We do have some good news for you however. Your heart is actually not in bad shape. The small defect is of no concern, unless it gets bigger, and we will refer you to a cardiologist to monitor it in the future. We have been more concerned about the skipping beats and irregular beating pattern. One of the tests we did is for a rare virus that can attack the tissue of the heart and cause erratic beats. We didn't think this was the problem, because usually it causes rapid heartbeat, but we did the test for the sake of being through. I am mentioning this because it came back positive for a very weak strain of the virus. This means you will not need the pacemaker after all. We will start you on an IV of several targeted antiviral medications, but you should be able to go home within a few days. If you tolerate the medications well, we may even be able to switch you to oral tablets and have you out of here by as early as the day after tomorrow. You will have some restrictions for a few weeks, like no heavy lifting, no heavy exercise, and no sex, but mostly, you should be fine. The floor nurse will be in to start your IV in a few minutes. Have a good afternoon." And with that they turned and left. We sat there, too stunned to say anything, or even move. 

Suddenly, Jack jumped up, standing next to his bed. He opened his mouth to say something and collapsed to the floor, eyes rolled back in his head. I screamed. Mark yelled and grabbed the nurse call button, ramming his finger into it as hard as he could repeatedly. A nurse came in, asking us "What on earth is the matter? Didn't the doctor's tell you it was good news?" We wordlessly pointed at Jack, laying out on the floor, a new small cut on the right side of his forehead where he hit it on the edge of the bed. It was bleeding fairly heavily, as head wounds are prone to do, and looked to be about two inches long. The nurse rushed over and shook his shoulder. Jack didn't respond. I was crying silently, completely unaware of my tears. Jack had to be okay. Finally the nurse asked us what happened.

"We had just gotten the news from the doctors and Jack was excited. He jumped up out of bed. He looked like he was going to say something and then his eyes rolled up into the back of his head and he collapsed, hitting his head on the corner there on the way down." Mark was amazingly calm as he explained. "Is he okay? Does this have to do with his concussion?"

The nurse looked at us, reassuring us as much as she could with her eyes. "Possibly. It looks like Mr. McLoughlin will be staying with us a few more days. I need to go get some people to help with this. I'll be right back." We nodded, murmuring thanks. I continued to stare at Jack's prone form and cry silently. This was too much. Suddenly, I blacked out.

When I came to, Jack was back in his bed, with several stitches on his forehead. There was an IV hanging above my head, slowly dripping something into my right arm. Jack had an IV bag dripping something into his right arm as well. Mark was seated on a chair in between the two beds, holding both our hands, looking frantic. He heaved a large sigh when he saw my eyes were open. "Finally! You know, you don't have to be so dramatic, [y/n]. You could have just asked for attention." When I didn't even crack a small smile, he shook his head. "Are you okay now? The nurse said your heart started skipping like crazy, probably from stress, which is why you passed out."

I swallowed. "My chest hurts. And my mouth is really dry. What happened to Jack?" 

Jack's eyes fluttered open at the mention of his name. "Yeah. What happened ta me? I feel like someone kicked me in th' head." He went to grab his head, but couldn't because of the IV and his sling. 

Mark reached up, letting go of my hand to gently massage Jack's temples, being careful to avoid the lump or the cut. "Apparently, the concussion was worse than the doctors originally thought. Your brain had swelled a little and the pressure change of standing up made you collapse. You cut yourself on the way down. They took you down for an MRI and stitched your head up, wile they were tending to [y/n]'s heart. It actually stopped beating twice. It was really, really scary. I couldn't do anything for either of you. I had to just stand out of the way. I hate this." Mark made a face. I reached over and rubbed his arm a little, as best I could reach, silently trying to comfort him. 

After a few minutes, Jack had Mark stop massaging his head. Mark sat back down, tears glistening, unshed in his dark brown eyes. "Thank you Mark. I know this is hard on you" I began. "It's hard on all of us. Can you let everyone know what's going on, please? Oh, and can you get me my phone? I need to call a few people." Mark handed my phone to me. "Thanks, babe."

Jack and Mark listened as I called my family, telling them what was going on as quickly and briefly as I could. When I finished talking to them, I called Lia and Greg. Lia yelled so loud that I dropped the phone. Mark picked it up, taking it away from me, to talk to her himself. Lia was mad because I didn't call her back last night and she hadn't heard from me all day. Mark excused himself out to the hall with my phone, explaining he didn't want either Jack or I getting upset. He was gone for a long time. While he was gone, I turned to look at Jack. He was looking over at me. "[y/n], you know you are a truly beautiful woman, but just now, you don't look so good." 

I let out a weak wry chuckle. "You don't look so hot yourself Jack. One side of your forehead is a deep bruise, with a lump in the middle, and the other has a big old cut. I looks like you've been to a war. We're a matched set right now." I started rubbing my chest, trying to relieve the deep ache that had settled there. 

Jack watched my hand a little too closely for a few seconds. I blushed brilliantly, as he blushed as well. We both averted our eyes as I dropped my hand. "Sorry. I didn't mean to stare and creep you out. It's just..."

I stopped Jack there. "I was rubbing my chest, I know. It hurts. A lot. I think maybe they had to shock my heart or something, because it feels like I've been kicked. Besides, it's not like either one of us are in any shape to act on anything right now, even if we could reach each other." Jack smiled weakly, looking back over at me. "Plus, I think the hospital would frown on that. Oh god, can you imagine what would happen? My heart monitor would go off, the nurses and doctors would come rushing in..."

Jack winced. "They would probably call my ma. Okay, thanks for painting that nightmare for me. Let's do something else. Want to watch some TV?" I nodded. "What sounds good?" He turned the TV on and started flipping through the channels. Eventually we found a show we both agreed on and settled back into our pillows. Mark eventually came back in and joined us. Just as the show was ending, a doctor stopped in. 

"Hey folks. I heard there was some excitement in here earlier. I just wanted to stop by and see how you all were doing. I'm Dr. Adams, the doctor on staff for the next few nights. Let's see what your charts say, hmm? Okay, Mr McLoughlin, you have a major concussion and brain swelling, cracked ribs, a torn shoulder, and a nasty forehead laceration. Yikes. Ms. [y/l/n], you have a virus attacking your heart, causing severe arrthymias. Oh, and it looks like your heart stopped briefly this afternoon, but they were able to shock it back. You both have medicines started to help with things and you are both hooked to monitors. Okay. Well, I'll see you both later. Enjoy your evening." With that he left. 

None of us had noticed how late it had gotten, but the dinner trays were wheeled in a few minutes later, by a nurse who apologized profusely. Apparently, in the confusion of the afternoon's events, they had ordered our food, but it was delivered to the nurses station since we were not awake to get it. The nurse's had forgotten to deliver it until the shift change occurred and someone asked about the covered dinner trays. I turned to Mark. "Hey Markimoo, what time is it anyway? You still have my phone." 

Mark looked down at the phone in his hands. "Almost nine PM. Crap! I need to get home and get some food of my own. I'll be back soon okay? You two, please, for the love of all that's holy, try not to get hurt anymore and keep breathing. I can't take much more. If anything else happens, I'm gonna end up in a bed next to you, sedated out of my mind."

Jack smirked and winked at me. "Short trip. And stop trying ta foil our nefarious plans. Bwahahaha! All of us in a room together, with no one accusing us of anything. The perfect way ta get closer with no one tha wiser." Mark laughed and I snorted, making both guys laugh all the harder. I asked Mark for my phone back since he was going to leave. He gave Jack a goodbye hug and leaned over and gave me one too. 

"Okay. I'll be back as soon as I can get here, if they will let me. Do you guys need anything?"

"Yes." I said definitively. "Can you stop by work and get my laptop, a video camera, the hard drive next to my desktop, and the folder on the desktop of my work PC labeled 'project 1'? I'll write down my password for you. You can just drag the whole folder onto a flash drive, if you would. Thanks! You're a sweetie." 

Jack fake pouted "And I'm not?"

"Nope. You're a lovable pain in the ass. But you're our pain in the ass, so it's okay." Mark laughed loudly when I said this, and he walked out the door. I turned back to Jack. "Wanna watch some more cartoons while we eat?" He nodded and we turned on the TV, seeking cartoons and distraction. We chatted peacefully around the food, complaining about the bland nature of hospital food and sharing horror stories about previous injuries and illnesses. We were both relaxed and giggling when the nurse came in to check on us and change our IV bags. After the nurse was done, I asked him "Could you push our beds closer together? We won't get up or move, but it feels like we are super far away from each other and we practically have to shout to hear the other." The nurse nodded and winked, dropping the bed rails on the adjacent sides and pushing the beds together, I thanked him and he nodded, leaving with our now empty dinner trays.

I looked at Jack. He smiled a warm, tender smile. "Thanks for thinking of having tha beds moved. Now we can get closer and maybe even cuddle, if we're careful."

"I'd like that very much Jack. But first I want to call Dan and ask him to bring a few things from my apartment, if he doesn't mind. It's not anything that can't wait until tomorrow, but I have the feeling he wants me to keep him up to date with what's going on anyway. Do you need anything or want to talk to him too? I could put it on speaker..." I trialed off as he nodded. "Okay. I'm dialing now." When he answered, I told him it was Jack and I and filled him in on what had happened. 

"Are you two okay? Really? Shut, man that's some scary stuff. Damn. Do you want me to come visit? Will they let me? Oh man, I have no idea what to do." 

"Danny, Jaysus! Take a breath, dude. Stop freaking out." 

I spoke up, "Dan, we really are okay. I just wanted to let you know. I know you were worried. Now I doubt they would let you in tonight, but you could swing by in the morning. If you don't mind, could you grab a few things from my apartment? I gave you the spare key a few weeks ago, and you still have it? Okay, can you bring me some clean clothes, my cellphone charger cord, my ebook reader, and my tote bag? The tote bag has stuff in it, but I want that stuff too. If you can squeeze the other stuff in there, great, if not, just shove it in a grocery bag. Thank you!"

Dan agreed. "Jack, you need anything man?"

Jack thought for a minute. "Yeah. I could use some clean clothes for when they let me leave, my iPad, and charging cord. That should do it for me. Thanks again Danny."

Dan told us he would see us in the morning and ended the call. Jack scooted over as far as his abused body would let him and said "Snuggles now?" I nodded and scooted over, being careful of not tangling our IV's and mindful of Jack's shoulder and ribs. I turned the volume back up on the cartoons and we settled back against the pillows, my arm wrapped under and around Jack. I don't know how long we watched the cartoons before we both fell asleep, but I woke up to Mark coming back in the room. I looked over at Jack and saw he was still asleep, so I turned the TV down to almost silent.

I said very softly, almost whispering, "Hey Mark. I didn't know if they would let you back in tonight. You could have slept at home in your own bed you know. We're okay here." I was worried. Mark had been through a lot for us since last night and he needed sleep. I didn't want him to get sick.

Mark smiled. "I'm okay. I ate, showered, and had a nap. Honestly, I kept waking up with nightmares, so I figured I might do better here, where at least I could see for myself you two were still okay." I nodded understanding. Mark pulled the reclining chair up next to my bed and settled in, close enough he could reach ot and stroke my back, but not so close if something happened the doctors and nurses couldn't get at me. "I brought your stuff. I'll put it down here, okay? I can help you set it up in the morning. Why did you need the camera by the way? Are you doing a vlog?" 

I nodded. "Yup. And I'm going to record Jack doing one too. That way if the videos are not perfect or they're late, or something is different, the fans won't freak out." 

Mark nodded, adding "Good thinking. The fan base can always tell. Plus, Jack's really consistent, so they are more likely to notice than with some other people. I noticed your channel is starting to pick up a following too, by the way. That's awesome!" I blushed a little. "Keep up the good work. Now I know you have to be pretty tired, Jack's exhausted and already asleep, and I am ready to sleep now too. Do you need anything before I turn the lights down?" 

"Yeah. Could you ask the nurse to come in for a minute. My chest is really painful, and I think I need someone to make sure everything is okay. You should have them give you some pillows and a blanket too." Mark agreed and stepped out to the nurses station just outside our door. The nurse came in and looked me over. I explained about my chest pain and he decided to have a doctor check on me before we all were asleep.

"The doctor came in and checked my vital signs. "Everything looks okay. Now tell me about the pain." I described it, saying it felt like I had been repeatedly kicked in the ribs. My breastbone was extremely tender and sore as well. "Hmm. Can you let me take a look?" I nodded, sliding out from under Jack as best I could without waking him. When I loosened the gown, pulling it down, Mark turned away, blushing. I looked down, my entire chest was one massive bruise. I gasped involuntarily, making Mark look up. He bit his lip so hard it started bleeding. The doctor made a note. "This probably happened earlier when your heart stopped. That is a lot of bruising however, and what you are describing sounds an awfully lot like broken ribs. I'm going to order and x-ray for in the morning and some painkillers for tonight. Thanks for bringing this to our attention." With that the doctor left. I was still staring at my very bruised chest, tears falling. 

Jack suddenly woke up, exclaiming "Holy shit! What happened?" Mark explained as I covered back up, suddenly realizing I was exposing my chest far longer than I needed to. "Oh, [y/n]. Poor baby. We really are a matching pair. That's what my ribs look like." I settled back into a more comfy position and slide my arm back under Jack, pulling him closer. He kissed my forehead as I wiped the last of the tears away. Mark gently patted my back. 

The nurse came in and added something to my IV bag. "Here's the pain medicine the doctor wants you to take. It's probably going to knock you out, so get comfy. Goodnight everybody." After double checking Jack's meds, he left, handing Mark two pillows and a soft blanket. Mark curled up under it, put the feet up on the recliner, adjusted the pillows, and turned lights down. We all settled in and were soon asleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick reminder -- Likely to be no updates for this weekend! 
> 
> Thanks for all the lovely comments ans kudos! I can't believe this has gotten so many views. Have a fab day! :)


	19. Coming home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Jack are finally both ready to be sent home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a sweet, fluffy chapter, after all the medical drama of the last few, I thought it was well deserved.
> 
> So much cuddling! :)
> 
> ______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Jack and I spent the next few days in a haze of pain and medical tests. Jack's brain was still swollen, and the swelling was going down very slowly. I wasn't responding as quickly as they had hoped to the medicine for the virus. Time dragged on. Mark was there everyday, for as long as he could be. He helped us record vlogs and recorded one for his channel as well. I was still able to edit them and put them up on the channels as soon as they were finished. I recorded a few games with Jack when he was feeling up to it and edited them as well. Mostly we slept, watched mindless cartoons, and talked. I got to know Jack and Mark a lot more closely than ever before, and I think they felt the same about me. We talked about anything and everything. Dan visited everyday, or every other day when something came up. Lia and Greg came by everyday, until they had to head back home, and recorded a special video just for my family. I had Skyped with my family to convince them I was really okay, and that they didn't need to fly out to take care of me. Bob, Wade, Matt, and Ryan stopped by every few days. We had other visitors as well. Mark had called Jack's family and let them know he was mostly okay, but that he would be laid up for a while. Life fell into a pattern, but one that Jack and I were somewhat anxious to end soon. We wanted to go home.

About a week after Jack's fall in the hospital, and my heart stop, the doctors finally told us we would be released, if there was someone around all the time to care for us. We both had restrictions on what we could carry and do, because both of us had cracked ribs. Plus the doctors were still concerned about my heart. Last night, I had had no incidents of skipped beats for the very first time since they had started monitoring me. The blood test they had done the previous day came back with a very low virus count and I had been taking oral medication for the past three days. Jack's brain swelling was just about gone, finally, and he was also on oral medicine to prevent infection, help with the pain, and relax his muscles in his shoulder so they could heal properly. We were given one final check over when Mark agreed he would be caring for us outside the hospital, with the help of our friends. We were told to wait, but someone should be in with the discharge papers soon. Jack and I smiled at each other and Mark. We were finally going home! I turned to Mark. "Mark, thank you so much for everything! You have been amazing. I know it hasn't been easy for you."

Mark scoffed and waved a hand. "Please, you two have had a much harder time than I have." I gave him a skeptical look, which he ignored. "So, now that you two losers are FINALLY ready to go home, where is home base going to be? We are all going to have to stay in one apartment for a while." I looked over at Jack and bit my lip, thinking hard.

"My apartment is on the first floor." Jack reminded us. "I know the doctor said no stairs for [y/n]. Although, I don't have a guest room or anything. Just the two couches. But I can sleep on a couch!"

I rolled my eyes at him. "Jack, my apartment has a guest room, a really huge bed in my room, and is also on the first floor. In fact it has exactly the same number of steps up to the front door as yours does. Plus, you have both stayed there before and know where things are. My vote is for my apartment. Since everyone else is close by too, it makes the most sense." 

Mark grumbled "Yeah, yeah. Nobody wants to stay at my house. I get it." We both looked at him. 

Jack simply reminded him "But they rest of the group is over in our apartment complex. You're gonna need some help you know."

Mark looked almost offended for a few seconds, before admitting defeat. I smirked at him. "Besides I highly doubt there is anything halfway edible in your house. I have a two freezers full of frozen meals. Besides, I can cook and I know where everything is in my kitchen. I can't say the same for either of you guys." 

Jack and Mark both gave up. "Ye win, [y/n]. Food is a dirty trump card ta play with us, but ye win," Jack groaned. He and I were both super sick of hospital food. I knew that he would never be able to pass on my cooking. 

"Now, here's the real question for you, Mark. How are we going to get my car home. It's been sitting here ever since I brought Jack in. I don't think the doctors want me to drive right now because of my heart and the medicines I'm taking." I hated to leave my car here, but I couldn't think of any solutions right now.

Mark smirked at me. "Actually, Wade drove it home for you the day after you got here. It's been parked in your spot this whole time. I 'borrowed' your keys while you were napping. I got it back from him a little while later. The keys are in your purse again." I sighed my relief. One less problem. Mark stood up and stretched. "I don't know about the two of you, but I'll be glad to sleep in more comfortable surroundings and not be looking at these same four walls any more." Jack and I nodded wholeheartedly. Mark began to gather up our scattered belongings, collecting everything and packing it into a few bags. He left to take our things, except the clean clothes we were going to wear home, out to his car, so we could leave as soon as they let us. He was back just a few steps before the doctor with the discharge papers. The doctor went over all our discharge instructions and restrictions one final time, had Jack and I sign papers, and told us we were free to go as soon as we got dressed. Jack and I got out of bed, somewhat gingerly due to our ribs and I headed into the bathroom to get changed. I knew Jack was going to need some help with his pants and shirt at least, and I wanted to give him some privacy, as well as wanting a little privacy of my own. When I took off the hospital gown, I looked at my breastbone and winced. It was still very bruised and angry looking. I slowly put on my underwear and bra, gasping a little at the pain from moving to adjust my bra and the sudden tight band around my ribs. The doctors had decided not to wrap my ribs because of my heart, so the bra, although not a tight one, was the first thing I had had around my ribs since they were injured. After I got the pain under control, I put on the dress that Dan had brought in for me. It was a summer sundress, easy to get into without having to fuss and no contorting to try to reach zippers or buttons. I grabbed my sandals and put them on as well. I was ready. I opened the bathroom door a crack asking if Jack was ready. I heard grunting and a quick reply of "Give him a minute. He's having some trouble." I closed the bathroom door and reached for the hairbrush. I started to brush my hair like I normally would, but found I couldn't because of my ribs. I swore. Mark heard me and opened the bathroom door. "What's wrong sweetheart?"

I looked up at him through, teary eyes. "I can't even brush my hair. It hurts too bad." I refused to cry again. I hate crying and all the stress and medicines had made me cry far too much lately. A few tears may have leaked out now, but I held most of them back. 

Jack looked in at me. He clucked sympathetically. "Come on out love. We can help." I nodded and stepped out of the bathroom, sitting down on the edge of the hospital bed, shoulders slumped in defeat. Jack came over and sat next to me, putting his good arm around me. Mark came over and took the hairbrush from my unresisting hand and gently brushed my hair, putting it up in a simple ponytail to keep it out of my face. I thanked them both and we headed out of the hospital. Jack and I were forced to use wheelchairs by the hospital, but as soon as we were in the parking lot, we got up and walked to Mark's car. He shook his head at us and asked who wanted to sit in the front. I looked at Jack. He smirked and winked at me, coming over and whispering a plan in my ear. "We can both sit in tha back and snuggle, just ta annoy Mark if you want. Besides I like snuggling with you. You're soft and comfy." I smiled at him and nodded agreement.

Mark was standing by the driver's side door, watching us suspiciously as we whispered. "What are you two up to?"

I gave him a totally innocent look. "Nothing. What makes you think we are up to something? We were just deciding who would sit where." 

Mark asked Jack if he needed any help as Jack walked around the car to get in behind Mark. Jack looked annoyed and said, "It's just a door, Mark. I got it." Mark nodded and started to get in himself. Jack opened the door and climbed in. I opened the backseat door on my side at the same time, just as Mark was getting in the front. Once Jack was comfy next to me, he grinned happily. He even leaned over and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.

Mark looked astonished for a moment. Then he pouted. "Hey, no fair! How can I help you guys if you plot against me? And why do I have to sit up here all by myself?"

Jack's grin got even wider, if that was possible. "Well, ya big smelly, I wanted ta snuggle on tha way home. This seemed like a good solution. And ye can't sit back here because ye need ta drive. " I giggled. Mark gave a disgruntled huff and started the car. He pouted the entire drive to my apartment, while Jack and I snuggled together. I had my head laid on Jack's good shoulder (that's why he got in behind Mark), and Jack rested his head on top of mine. We had wrapped an arm around the other, gently, very mindful of our bruised and sore ribs. It was very nice. Before long we arrived at my apartment. Mark hopped out of the car and ran up the steps to unlock my front door. Dan, hearing a car, poked his head out of his apartment. When he saw Jack and I getting slowly out of Mark's car, he ran over and gave us hugs. Jack got the first hug and he squeaked. "Danny, man, it's great ta see ye, but watch our ribs. We both have cracked ribs right now. Me from that stupid box of crap and her from when her heart stopped and they had ta restart it." Dan looked startled and apologized. He hugged me much more gently and offered to help us up the steps to my apartment. We declined, walking ever so slowly and carefully, but determined to do this on our own. I made it up first, but I had to sit down as soon as I got in the door. I was slightly lightheaded and dizzy, which the doctors had warned me was a sign I was pushing too hard. Jack came in behind me and sat down next to me. "Are ye okay? Ye look a little pale." 

"I'm a little dizzy and lightheaded, but I'll be okay. Man, who thought four steps would be enough to cause that many problems?" Jack nodded, and I could tell he was hurting too. 

Mark stepped out of the hallway. "Did you guys have to do that before I could get back out to help?" Jack and I looked at each other and nodded. 

Dan spoke up from behind us. "I offered to help, and walked behind them to make sure they were okay, but they insisted they could do it by themselves. They're really stubborn." He turned back to the two of us. "It's great to see you home, but I gotta run. I was cooking something and I don't want to burn the place down, so I'll see ya later. Mark call if ya need any help or want a break. Or even if you just want to hang out. Bye guys!" And with that Dan ran back out the door.

after a few minutes of resting in the kitchen, Jack and I made our way out to the couch in the living room. Jack sat down first, sitting on the far left side. I sat down next to him, curling up like a cat, cuddling him. He grinned and grabbed the super soft blanket I always kept on the couch, draping it over the two of us. Meanwhile Mark was carrying our stuff in and bringing some of Jack's belongings over. When he finished he stopped to look at us, smiling absently. We were just sitting there, not really doing anything except listening to the other breath and unwinding. The hospital had been a horrible experience and we needed some down time. Mark stepped out of the doorway and suddenly snapped a picture, which he posted to Instagram and Twitter with the caption, 'Guess who's finally out of the hospital?' and tagging us both. We looked up when we heard the camera click, but other than that we didn't move. Mark came over and sat next to me, gently, moving my curled up legs so he could sit down and join the cuddling. He lifted the blanket enough so he had some as well and we all settled in for a quiet afternoon. We sat not doing anything for about fifteen minutes before Jack suggested "Maybe we could watch a movie or something." I nodded sleepily. Mark grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. He channel surfed for a few minutes before switching over to Netflix. He selected a silly comedy from the menu and started the movie. Jack and I both fell asleep before long. I think Mark did too, because when I heard the knock on the front door, I had to give him a gentle shake to get his attention.

Mandy, Bob, Wade, and Molly were standing on the steps. Mark let them in. I was still snuggling with Jack, who was still asleep. I was barely awake myself. I looked up at them with very sleepy eyes. They grinned and made 'awwww' sounds very quietly. Molly spoke up. "Listen, we know you guys just got back, so we won't stay. We just wanted to tell you if you need anything let us know. We will be checking in on you regularly, so don't hesitate to ask. You especially Mark. We all know these two" she gestured to Jack and I "can't do much right now, and you need to be careful not to overdo it." He nodded, promising to call if he needed anything and told Bob and Wade we would all be in at work on Monday (it was currently Thursday). 

Mandy stepped forward and handed Mark a pan of something. "I made some casserole, so you won't have to cook tonight. I'll pick up the pan later okay? Bye guys" With that everyone left again, leaving us alone in the quiet again. Mark went into the kitchen and grabbed some plates and forks. He also grabbed a serving spoon and stuck the casserole in the oven to heat. I had just fallen back asleep when the oven dinged and the smell of food permeated the apartment. It smelled amazing, particularly after nothing but hospital slop for over a week. Mark dished out three plates and carried them out to Jack and I, setting his down on the table in front of where he would be sitting again. Jack and I had both woken up when the oven dinged. We thanked Mark. He nodded and asked us what we wanted to drink, fetching our drinks and medicines so we wouldn't be tempted to move. As he handed them out, he gave us each a quick kiss on the forehead, before settling in next to me again and snuggling into the blanket with us. We abandoned the movie and opted for a TV show instead. Jack and I just weren't up to concentrating long enough to watch a movie. We ate in companionable silence, snuggling, and watching TV, just happy to be home and together. Eventually, Mark got up and cleared away the dishes, put away the rest of the casserole for later, and helped Jack get up for a trip to the bathroom. I decided I was going to head back to bed. I got up very slowly, careful not to push myself and walked down the hall. Mark was waiting next to the bathroom for Jack. 

"And where do you think you're going, young lady?" Mark asked, raising his eyebrows and giving me a look.

"I'm going to take a shower and go to bed. Goodnight, Mark. Goodnight Jack." I headed past them into my bedroom. I grabbed a nightgown and clean towel, hopped in the shower, and took a hot shower. The water felt really good and helped relax me even more. I stepped out and dried off gently. I slid the nightgown on and walked into my bedroom to see Jack already asleep under the covers. I smiled and crawled in to join him. Mark joined us a few minutes later, also freshly showered. We snuggled and fell asleep in each others arms, happy and feeling safe. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have a fab day! ;) And enjoy the sweet fluffy goodness.
> 
> There will be two chapters up today if at all possible to make up for the lack of a chapter tomorrow, and possibly Sunday. If I can squeeze out a few extra chapters soon I will.


	20. A Friday with my guys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that you are home with Jack and Mark, what will the day hold?

When I woke up the morning after we got home, I was aching all over. Mark was already gone from the bedroom, and Jack was still asleep. I rolled gingerly over to he edge of the bed and grabbed my glass of water from the nightstand. I also grabbed the medicine I was supposed to take and washed the pills down with a large drink. I always hated swallowing pills, but I knew if I didn't take these the way I was supposed to, I would no doubt end up back in the hospital. I grabbed my phone and was scrolling through Twitter, seeing if there was anything interesting. I noticed Jack and I had a lot of retweets of the picture Mark took yesterday, and there was a lot of love from his community directed at me. It was sweet and I tweeted out a 'Thanks for all he love and well-wishes!' before closing Twitter and opening Tumblr. I was scrolling through my feed, looking at the updates from people I follow when Mark came back in. I smiled up at him. "Good morning Mark. Did you sleep well?"

Mark smiled down at me. "Better than I have for quite a while honestly. Are you hungry? I made breakfast. What are you looking at anyway? Anything interesting?" 

I yawned and stretched before answering. I saw Mark watching me, an interested look in his eyes. I winked at him. "Nice. Good thing this is a long nightgown. Now, I was checking out Tumblr and Twitter. A lot of Jack's followers were retweeting the picture you took of us and sending well wishes my way. And I was just checking to see what was happening on the Tumblrs I follow. I didn't feel like getting out of bed just yet. I did drink my water and take my pills though, before you ask. What did you make fore breakfast?"

Jack rolled over and groaned. "Oww. Where did all the warm go? And did I hear someone say food?" I giggled a little and Mark chuckled. I handed Jack his morning medicines, including his painkillers and a bottle of water from the 12-pack I kept under the bed, part of my emergency kit. Jack took the pills, drank the water, and said, "Thanks. Now seriously, what time is it? And do we have something ta eat? I swear I lost a ton of weight in tha hospital because tha food was so bad and I felt so nasty."

Mark cleared his throat. "Jack, it's almost eight thirty. I made some scrambled eggs, toast, coffee, and fruit. [Y/n], I noticed before you seem to prefer tea, so I put hot water on for that, but I don't know how you make your tea or where you keep it. Do you two need any help getting up? Or do you want me to bring the food in here?"

I shook my head. "I join you in the living room in a few minutes. I want to get changed first." With that, I grabbed a pair of undies from the drawer, a pair of denim shorts, a sports bra, and a soft grey t-shirt I had, painted with the logos of all my YouTuber friends channels lining the sleeves and gracing the back. The front of the shirt had my logo, the one I had designed for my business before I started shooting wedding videos or TV projects, that I now used as a channel logo. My channel name was under it in scripted letters. I still couldn't manage my hair, so I did what I could and just left it for now, hoping Mark or Jack would help me later. Maybe I could get Molly to help me braid it tight. I could always sleep in braids if I had to, and it kept my hair under control a lot better than a ponytail did. When I stepped out of my bathroom, both guys were still exactly where I had left them, Mark leaning on the door frame and Jack still laying on the bed. I walked over and gave Jack a quick kiss on the cheek. He grinned and stuck his tongue out at Mark. I had already started walking over to Mark, however. I gave him a kiss as well, one that was not quite as quick as Jack's, but still a relatively chaste one. Mark moved, trying to get in closer to me, but I sidestepped and walked past him, out the door, down to the kitchen. I heard both men growl and smirked to myself. I got out my rather extensive tea selection, laying the expensive tea chest on the counter, as I looked it over. I wanted something spicy and sweet this morning. I grabbed my favorite glass mug, turned the tea kettle off, selected my tea bag, and added it to the bottom of the cup before pouring the hot water in. I let it steep for the three minutes I preferred, removed the tea bag, added a small amount of honey, and stirred. I took a sip and smiled. Perfect. I decided I would definitely be wanting more than one cup, so I took out my fancy glass tea pot and made enough tea for four or five more cups, sweetening the whole pot just a little. Then I grabbed a plate of eggs, a cup of blackberries, and two slices of toast with butter. I also grabbed the blackberry jam I loved and added a generous dollop to the toast, spreading a nice layer across each slice. With my plate of food loaded, I grabbed a fork and a napkin and carried them out to the couch. I put them down on the coffee table and went back in the kitchen, fetching my tea, the black pepper, and a bottle of hot sauce for my eggs. I added these things to the table before I made one last trip to the kitchen, retrieving my tea pot and a bag of carrot and celery sticks. 

I settled in to the couch and got comfortable, just as Mark and Jack appeared from down the hall. Jack was wearing different clothes, so I assumed Mark had helped him change before he came out to eat. I looked over at the two men. The looked wonderful standing there, even if Jack was leaning heavily on the back of the couch and wearing his shoulder sling. The bruising on his forehead was fading nicely and his cut had healed almost completely. I smiled happily at the two of them. They blinked a few times and smiled back. Jack eventually asked "What has ye in such a good mood this morning?"

I kept smiling as I answered. "I'm not in the hospital anymore. My two boyfriends are here at my home, looking super handsome, I have my laptop handy to work if I feel like it, or I can just goof off for the day, and I have food close at hand. What's not to be happy about? Oh, and the picture Mark tweeted of us yesterday is getting a lot of attention and positive comments from your community, and mine, although I think most of my community are already fans of yours or Mark's. I think today is going to be a vlog post day for me. Do you have any plans for today?"

Jack chuckled. "Energetic aren't you? I plan on propping up my feet and watching YouTube for part of the day. And maybe seeing if I can play any games. Unfortunately, the pain medicine seems to be sucking all my usual BOSS energy away, so I'm not sure what I can do. I'll figure something out though. Mark, what about you?"

Mark smiled. "Well, first I'm going to take care of the two of you. Then I'm going to call Ryan and see how Chica is doing. After that I'll probably try to record something, if I have the time. I have no idea what though, so we'll see. Now Jack, go sit down. I'll bring you your food. What do you want on your toast? And what kind of fruit do you want? There are grapes, pineapple, blueberries, raspberries, pears, oranges, or bananas."

Jack responded "Pineapple sounds good. And just butter on my toast please." Mark nodded and disappeared into the kitchen for fetch the food for Jack. I reached out and grabbed my bowl of berries and started eating them, savoring the sweetness as well as the tart and bitter notes. I sipped my tea as I ate, think and planning. I should work on my animation some more today. If I pushed myself a little it would probably be ready in time to post today. Then I could get two posts out instead of one, to make up for my spotty posting while I was in the hospital. Besides, I really wanted to finish the animation. I was coming along really well, and I was very proud of it. I finished my cup of fruit and set the bowl down, grabbing my toast and eating it next. I continued sipping my tea and eating my toast silently until Jack suddenly tapped my foot and asked me "What are you concentrating on so hard? " 

I looked over at him. "I'm planning what I'm going to work on today. I have a video I want to finish and then the vlog. I'm sorry if I was ignoring you, I was just mentally going over my ideas. I tend to focus on one thing sometimes and forget everything else around me. It can be helpful sometimes, but it can also be off-putting for some people. Please tell me if it bothers you."

Jack laughed a little and shook his head. "Not me. I can get like that too, although sometimes I can get really distracted by anything and everything as well. Did I tell ye the story about my video that I was filming that I was so focused on I forgot ta eat all day. Terrible. I almost fainted when I got up later." I laughed along with him. Mark brought out Jack's food and coffee and set it down, asking what was so funny. Jack repeated his story, making Mark grin. Mark admitted he had stories like that as well. Mark stepped back in the kitchen for a moment, but soon came back with his food and cup of coffee. I swung my legs off the couch so Mark could sit down, and grabbed my plate. After I finished my toast, I grabbed the pepper, which was in a fancy wooden grinder, and added quite a bit, before setting the grinder down and grabbing the hot sauce. I added quite a bit of that as well, mixing everything together before biting into my eggs.

When I looked up, Jack and Mark were staring at me. I swallowed my food. "What? Do I have jam on my face or something?"

Jack shook his head, but it was Mark who answered. "Just how hot is that hot sauce?"

I smirked. Jack and Mark had both done pepper challenges in the past, but I was a chili head. I decided I wouldn't lie to them, but only because I really didn't want to have them get hurt. "Well, it's made from habenero peppers, garlic, and some other chiles and spices. I'd say it's pretty hot, but I have eaten hotter. Why? Would either of you like some?" I grinned, knowing they would decline. 

Mark eyed the bottle suspiciously. Jack shook his head and just went back to eating. Finally Mark asked to see the bottle. I shrugged and handed it over to him. He looked it over and read the label carefully. Finally, he opened the bottle and sniffed it. He started coughing and quickly put the lid back on. He looked at me. "How can you eat that without burning your mouth and stomach up?"

I grinned. "I love spicy food. I eat all kinds. Peppers, horseradish, mustards, wasabi, ginger, and whatever else. I don't usually flame out, but a few hot sauces have gotten me." 

Jack laughed. "That's what ye should do a video on. A pepper eating contest with someone, but not me. I like my stomach and tongue." Mark and I laughed. I told them I would think about it. 

After I finished eating, I took my dishes into the kitchen and loaded them in the dishwasher. I grabbed my laptop and computer bag and headed back to the couch. I hooked everything up and plugged the power cord in, settling in to work. I finished my animation in about two hours and uploaded it. I was super excited! I had thought it would take a lot longer to finish. It was just after eleven now. I decided now would be a good time to do the vlog, so I set the camera up and started filming. "Hi everyone! It's me, [y/y/n]. I am out of the hospital now. Sorry for the scare everyone. It turns out I have a small heart defect and I have a virus that was also attacking my heart, so it took a while to get it under control. I got some cracked ribs when they had to jump-start my heart, but they are healing and so am I. I'm posting two videos today to make up for the lack of videos while I was sick. And I am still restricted to limited activity for a while, but I'm doing as much as I can. Thanks for all the love and support. You guys are amazing! It made my morning to wake up and see so many supportive comments for Jack and I both. Jack is here, say 'Hi' Jack!" I pointed the camera at him for a minute he waved, a goofy grin on his face, and I pointed the camera back at me "and so is Mark. Mark is taking care of us, since we are too feeble to manage on our own at the moment." Jack called out 'Hey!' and Mark laughed. I pointed the camera at him "Say 'Hello' Mark!" He grinned, waved, and called out a greeting. I swung the camera back to me again. "So if you see them in my videos for a while don't be surprised. They'll be around a lot more for a while. Jack lives next door to me anyway, so he's over here bumming food at every chance he gets." 

Suddenly the camera was grabbed from my hands. Jack looked into it and said "If ye have ever had her cooking, ye would know why. And I'm not the only one. Wade and Bob stop in ta get food a lot too!"

I grinned and took back my camera. "Stop hijacking my vlog!" Mark groaned and Jack laughed. I blushed. "Oh jeez. That wasn't supposed to be a pun. Well, anyway, that's what's going on with me right now. I'm bruised, but healing. I think Jack feels about the same way I do. So, now on to other matters. As I said at the top of the video, there are two videos coming out today. I really want feedback on the other one. I made an animation, my first ever! I want to know what everyone thinks. And as a side note, I received a suggestion for what I should do for a video from Jack this morning. He thinks I should do a challenge video with hot sauce or peppers. Would you guys want to see that? Let me know in the comments. Well, that's all for this video. See ya next time peeps!" I ended the video. 

Mark looked up from his phone. "[y/n], I didn't know you made an animation! That's awesome. And it was really cool to see you record that vlog. It was pretty laid back, but funny. I doubt you'll need to edit it much, if at all."

"Thanks Mark. I actually wasn't planning to do any editing except link the animation video at the end. I decided I wanted to try animating something to see if I'm any good. Hopefully, people will like it. Now, I need to finish uploading the first video, so I can add the link and then upload the second. Other than that I'm done for the day. You guys want to do anything?" 

Jack stretched a little. "I should probably record a vlog as well. Hey, [y/n] do ye mind helping me? We can add a link to yer vlog as well, as a 'for more information' kind of thing. Plus, I have a plan for while my shoulder is out of commission that involves ye. I will provide the commentary while ye do tha actual gameplay, with both of us on camera. Ye would be welcome to comment as well, or just focus on tha games. Does that seem doable?" I nodded. "Then let's give ye a formal introduction to my fans and explain how things are going ta work, so no one freaks out. Also, that way I can give ye credit as my editor for tha past few months." 

Mark stood up and walked into the kitchen. He called back to us, "While you do that, I'm going to make something for lunch for you two. [y/n] do you mind if I go through your freezers? I know you said you had a lot in there, so I can get enough stuff out for several meals, to reheat whenever we are ready." I told him that would be fine. Meanwhile, I got the camera set up on a stand for Jack. He wanted me in the video, so I couldn't hold the camera and be in it at the same time. When it was set up, he started his video.

"Top o' tha mornin' ta ye laddies! My name is Jacksepticeye and I have a special guest with me today! As many of ye know, since I have been in LA, I have been working on a TV show as well as doing YouTube. Because of this, I have needed an editor. So my friend and neighbor, tha lovely and talented [y/y/n], has been working nonstop for months now, making sure that even when I was in tha hospital videos went up on time, ta tha best of her ability. She was in tha hospital as well, for much of that time, but if ye want ta know more about that, please go check out her channel. It's pretty awesome! Well, besides being long overdue for introducing her to all of ye, I have a second reason for introducing her. She will be assisting me with my videos while my shoulder heals. I can't actually play most games right now, so she will be stepping in and doing the actual play-throughs while I guide her and comment. Now she will make the occasional comment as well I'm sure, but we will still be doing my videos."

"Yeah. I don't want anyone to think I'm trying to steal his channel or his viewers. The only things different will be me making ridiculous faces and failing over and over again, instead of Jack. He'll be sitting next to me the whole time too. Now, just as a warning to all of you who are horror fans, I have a heart condition, so if he wants to do horror games he may need to have someone different help him with those games. Maybe he can do them as collabs with Mark. Mark will be around in the videos a whole lot more too, because while Jack and I are healing up, Mark is helping take care of things. So everybody go thank him, okay?"

"Yeah. Go spam Markiplier with thank ye messages." I giggled. "Now, even with all this in place, there may still be days when videos don't get out or are late. PLEASE DON'T BLAME [y/n]! She is an amazing and awesome editor. It's likely because I am not feeling well enough ta film and tha enormous stockpile of videos she has banked has been used up, or she is not feeling well herself. Okay, well I think that's all for this video. Thank ye guys so much for watching. If ye liked it, PUNCH that like button IN THA FACE, LIKE A BOSS! And high fives all around. *wapish* *wapish* Thank ye guys and I will see all you dudes, IN THE NEXT VIDEOOO!!" Jack finished the vlog with his usual outro and I got up to go shut the camera off. As I was walking over, he commented, "Ye should flash tha camera. That would really boost yer channel." I glared at him, walked the rest of the way over and shut the camera off. He laughed as I stood there with my arms crossed over my chest. "Ye look annoyed. Ye know I was kidding. It was kind of also something for the post outro clip."

"Jack! It wasn't funny. What if people take you seriously?" I took the camera off the stand and brought it over to my laptop to edit. I suddenly smiled an evil grin. Jack looked at me nervously. "Jack, sweetheart, I am your editor. I get to decide if it stays or goes..."

Suddenly, we heard Mark's laugh boom out. "She's got you there Jack. If she wanted to she could really mess with you, editing you to say just about anything. I wouldn't make her too mad. Now, lunch is ready you two goofballs. We're going to have the rest of the casserole Mandy brought. I got a bunch of things out for later to thaw, so we will have some options. Plus there is always takeout if we want." We nodded and Jack got up to follow Mark into the kitchen. I plugged the camera into my laptop to transfer the video while we ate and then followed them in. 

After lunch, Bob and Wade stopped by for the afternoon. Since Jack and I didn't actually need anything right then, we just hung out and visited, until I suggested we play some Cards Against Humanity. Everyone agreed, and I asked if anyone wanted to have the game recorded as a video for their channel. Jack and Mark both said yes, so I set up three cameras, one on each of them and their cards, and one on the main table. I then grabbed a couple of extra cameras and set them up on Wade and Bob, just in case they changed their minds, and one on me and my hand. Once I plugged them all into the video capture and made sure they were all synced properly, we were started playing. Everyone had a great time and forgot about the cameras. We played so many games I lost track of exactly how many after the tenth or twelfth game. Jack, Mark, and I were winning way more than Wade or Bob, but everyone was having a great time. Finally, Bob stood up and said he had better get home. Wade looked at his watch and gave a startled yelp. "Molly's gonna kill me! I told her I would be home by five thirty, and it's quarter past seven! Bye guys. Thanks for letting us play and hang out. See you later." I ended the recording streams with a click and decided to go over the footage later. I was getting tired and hungry. I walked up the hall to my room and grabbed my night medicines to take with dinner. I also grabbed Jack's medicines, bringing them back to the living room with me. Jack and Mark had decided they really wanted pizza for dinner, so they called an order in and I cleared away the video recording stuff, stashing it in a box to deal with later. I sat down, yawned hugely, and grabbed the blanket. While Jack and Mark talked about video games and waited for the pizza, I closed my eyes for just a minute. 

A gentle hand was shaking me. I opened one eye. It was Jack. "[y/n], tha pizza is here. If ye are too tired, just take yer medicines and go back ta bed. We won't mind." I smiled sleepily and agreed to do just that. I stood up and walked into the kitchen, grabbed a glass of grape juice, and took my pills. I rinsed the glass out, and walked back to my bedroom. I had just enough energy left to take my clothes off, grab a pair of shorts and a sleep shirt, change into them, and brush my teeth. I was asleep as soon as I was on the bed, not even making it under the covers or up to the pillows. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. This was supposed to be out yesterday (Friday), but I was up writing it until 2 AM. My brain is cramping. If anyone sees anything out of place or misspelled, please let me know. I do go back and edit this. Thanks for reading!
> 
> BTW -- Today, Saturday June 18th, will mark the three week mark of posting this story. 20 chapters, 50,000+ words later, 94 Kudos (plus lots of awesome comments) and over 2200 views! Impressive. Thanks! :)


	21. Getting back to work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Jack are supposed to go back to work. How will the new filming arrangement go?

Saturday and Sunday were pretty quiet, with people stopping by to check on Jack and I and give Mark a break throughout both days. We basically just sat on the couch and played games or watched TV. Part-way through Sunday afternoon, Jack got tired and we shut the TV off, Mark and I choosing to read instead of talking, and Jack took a nap, curled up next to me. It was comfortable and comforting for all of us. Mark had to help Jack take a shower, so they did that on Sunday night. I took my own shower on Sunday evening as well. We all headed to bed early, exhausted and emotionally drained from all the turmoil of the past couple of weeks. Mark and Jack were still cuddling into me every night, something I enjoyed far more than I would like to admit. I liked being independent and self-sufficient, but right now, that just wasn't an option. So having snuggle buddies was nice.

On Monday morning, Mark woke up first. I heard his alarm ring, and started to try to drag myself awake as well. We I finally succeeded, I got up from the bed, took my medicine, grabbed the clothes I had laid out the night before, and headed into the bathroom to get ready. It took longer than I wanted, and it still was too hard for me to do anything with my hair but basic brushing, but I managed completely on my own. I emerged and saw Mark was helping Jack get his shoes on. Jack was looking a lot better than he had been, with the cut on his head healed to almost nothing and the lump and bruise substantially faded. His color was better and he no longer looked so pinched and pained. True, he still couldn't stand up very straight, or move quickly, and his ribs and shoulder were still injured, but he was looking more like himself than he had for a while. I smiled at him when he saw me looking. He raised an eyebrow and smirked. I blushed a little and mumbled "Just admiring the two very handsome men in front of me. I was also thinking how much better you look today than you did just a few days ago. Hopefully, the fans won't be alarmed by your appearance now." Mark laughed, a deep, rumbling laugh, that startled me slightly. Jack grinned as well.

"Yeah. My fans notice things. God, can ye imagine how they would have reacted ta my appearance right after I fell? Rioting on Instagram and Tumblr. At least they were satisfied with tha tweets and posts without pictures and tha two short vlogs we did. Jaysas, what a mess that could have been. And we only missed one upload I think? Pretty damn good." Jack smiled at me. "That was thanks to ye, ye know lass."

Mark helped Jack stand up. "Come on guys. We have some filming to do today. And you are both going to take plenty of breaks. Now, I thought for the videos, today at least, we could do some collabs of me and the two of you. That way, we can get twice the recording done at once, and I can make sure [y/n] doesn't get overwhelmed or either of you get too tired. Sound good?" We nodded.

I spoke up. "You know Mark, I am a gamer too. Just because that's not what I usually record on my channel, doesn't mean I don't know how. I do think a few collab videos will help ease the fan bases into it though. And no horror. I know you both love it, but my heart doesn't need the stress. So if you want any horror games up on your channel Jack, get Bob, Wade, or Mark to record with you and have Matt help edit those. What did you have in mind for today, game wise? Any ideas?"

Jack spoke up. "How about we do some Ultimate Chicken Horse ta start. It's always fun and we can switch ta Town of Salem or Cards Against Humanity or something later. If we can get a hold of Felix or Ken, they might even join us for something. We can check Skype when we get in ta tha office." Mark and I agreed, and we all headed somewhat gingerly out to the car. We had a brief disagreement over whose car we should take, but eventually got in mine, since mine got better gas mileage and had a full tank of gas. Mark drove us in to the office and parked in my usual spot. Jack and I were surprised he didn't stop over at the cafe, like normal, but he told us we could call in an order later, or just drink coffee in my office. We all headed up the elevator, me lagging behind a little as I rolled my laptop back behind me. Once we were settled in, I turned on the coffee for Jack and Mark, made myself some tea, and headed down the hall to Jack's usual recording studio. Mark and Jack followed as soon as the coffee was ready and they had grabbed a cup each. 

Jack logged in on the computer, checking Skype as soon as it was loaded. Luck was with us. Felix was online. Jack opened a Skype call to him and suddenly, there he was. "Jeez, Jack you look terrible! Oh and hi Mark. Hi [y/n]. Glad to see you all."

Jack laughed. "Thanks bro. I was wondering, would ye be up for collaborating with Mark and I on a couple of videos today? Actually, [y/n] will be playing as my hands, and may throw in the occasional comment, too. With tha banged up shoulder and rib problems, real gaming is a bit of a problem for a while for me. She has graciously volunteered ta help, at least ta a point. She won't do horror games, but there is absolutely nothing I have ta play that's horror for a little while. Hopefully, by the time stuff comes out I will either be able ta play myself, or someone else will help." 

Felix laughed and looked at me. "Scared of a little horror gaming?"

I shook my head. "I have a heart condition and cracked ribs. So I told Jack if he wanted any horror games for a while at least, he would have to find someone else to play for him and edit. I don't want my heart to stop again. Once recently was more than enough."

Felix's eyes got wide. "No shit. That's terrifying. Sorry about that, I didn't know. And Jack of course, I'll record with you. What did you have in mind?"

Mark spoke up. "He suggested Ultimate Chicken Horse earlier. How's that sound to start? If you have a game suggestion, we will certainly listen to that too. I'm going to set up in here to, but please tell me if the microphones start picking anything weird up or the sound gets off. The less editing [y/n] has to do, the happier I'll be. I have to take care of both of these two losers right now. With help from Bob, Wade, Molly, Dan, Arin, Suzy , and Mandy. I love the neighbors they have."

Felix looked totally lost. I cleared my throat, "Um, Jack lives next door to me and Bob, Mandy, Wade, Molly, Arin, Suzy, and Dan are also out neighbors. It's really cool and we have the whole apartment building basically to ourselves. It's kind of a small building, but it's part of a bigger complex. Mark has been crashing at my place while he takes care of us, since we all have to be in one place and I have a guest room and several couches."

Felix grinned. "Thanks for clearing that up. Mark do you need any extra help? I could come visit and stay at Jack's place if you need. I want to visit soon anyway."

"No, Felix, I think we are okay for now. Thanks for offering, man. I'll let you know if we need the help though. [Y/n] is an amazing cook with a ton of food in her freezer, so we have been eating well, and so far, since they got out of the hospital, all Jack and [y/n] want to do is nap and watch cartoons. I had a ton of help over the weekend too. Well, lets get this game started so you can get on with your day. I know the time difference is pretty major over there." Mark had set up his laptop, microphone, and camera on Jack's standing desk. I had gone to my editing desk, which I had previously added a microphone and camera to as well, for some behind the scenes filming we had done. The two desks were close together, but facing different directions, so when we looked up, we saw Mark's face and when he looked up, he saw us. I settled into the main chair and Jack sat down next to me, scooting in extra close. I did sound level checks on both sets of microphones, pleased to hear no feedback or echoing between the two, at least for now. I signaled the all ready and Mark started his intro "Hello everybody. My name is Markiplier! And today's video will have some guests! As many of you know, JackSepticEye was hurt and in the hospital recently. Well, today he is finally out and getting back to recording, with a little help from our second guest. She is his editor, and a fellow YouTuber, [y/y/n], and all around awesome person! [Y/n] has been helping Matt edit my videos for a few months as well, which is why they have all been on time. Some of you might have seen her at the convention a few weeks ago, or in her vlogs with Jack, while he was hurt. She actually, was sick as well, but is doing much better now. And our third guest is someone many of you know, PewDiePie! He's joining us for some cooperative gameplay."

"Cooperative? I thought we were playing Ultimate Chicken Horse? Or as Wade called it 'Dick everybody over as much as possible'." I smiled at the camera as I said this, letting my sassy side show. Jack and Felix laughed.

"Anyway, say hi everyone!" Mark finished.

Felix said hi, then did his intro. I waited patiently. Jack started his intro and just as he was about to introduce the game, I cut him off and did my own intro, making Mark and Felix crack up. Jack looked slightly scandalized for a few seconds, but after my very short intro was done I turned back to Jack. "Jack did you want to continue?" I winked at him, so the camera couldn't see. He gave me a look. Felix and Mark finally settled back down and we started playing. At first I barely intruded into the game, just doing whatever Jack instructed and letting him do all the talking, but eventually I started adding my own touches. Things got really chaotic after that, since Jack would suggest something and I might do what he wanted, or I might decide I had a better idea and change the plan completely, making him yell into the camera and microphone. Even thought we weren't moving around a lot, Jack and I were extremely animated still, pulling extreme facial expressions and body language, trying to convince each other we were right. Mark and Felix lost spectacularly to the two of us, several times. They were laughing at our antics so hard, a few times I thought someone was going to pass out. After we all decided we were done with Ultimate Chicken Horse, I looked at the time. It was ten thirty. Bob and Wade were probably coming in about now. I looked over at Felix, through Skype. "Do you want to play something else, or is it getting to late over there for you? I know it's like eight hours later than here, which makes it what, six-thirty? Do you need to stop and get dinner?" 

Felix looked at me surprised. "Mark never remembers the time difference. And no, I want to keep recording with you guys, this is awesome. You are certainly keeping Jack on his toes. What should we record next?" 

I asked the guys to excuse me for a minute, pleading the need for a bathroom break and a tea refill. As I walked down the hall to my office, I noticed Wade had just gotten in. I invited him to come join us in Jack's recording studio with a portable setup, which we had multiple of around. It was everything someone would need to record a video except a computer. Since all of us had our own laptops, that was not supplied. He grabbed one and started wheeling it down the hall, stopping to repeat my offer to Bob when he saw him. I used the bathroom in my office, grabbed a bottle of iced tea, and headed back in, settling back in my seat. With five of us recording, we opted for Town of Salem for the next set of videos. This time Felix started with his intro. Mark, Wade, and the then Bob went next. I recorded Jack and I doing an intro together, which we both liked a lot, and we started playing. Since I had never played, it was somewhat chaotic. Jack might have played a few times before, but he didn't really know what he was doing either. We played for another hour or so, before Felix told us he had to go. We all wished him goodbye and good night before he signed off of Skype. I turned back toward Jack. "How are you doing? This is a lot of fun, but my ribs are starting to ache. Do you want to go back to my office for a while?" 

Jack smiled a little. "Yeah, I'm starting ta get pretty sore. I don't think I can keep playing for much longer. I think I could do a few more rounds, but nothing after that. Maybe we should call it a day. Did we get enough footage for videos? It feels like we got a lot of good stuff, but I can't always tell."

I smiled back at him. "We got plenty, probably enough for at least four or five videos. It will be easier to tell after I start editing, but that's going to wait a little while." I called over to Wade, Bob, and Mark who were joking around and punching each others arms. "Jack and I are done for a while. We're going back to my office. Do you want me to get Matt to head in to help, or are you okay without him?" I stood up, helping Jack up carefully as I did so.

Mark looked at us, concern clear on his face. "No, I'm done for now too. You guys should have told me you needed to stop. Jack are you okay, buddy? Your face just went really pale." Jack was grabbing my arm tightly with his right hand.

Jack left me go after a minute, recovering enough to say, "Just got dizzy from standing up and tha pain was real bad. I'm gonna go lay down in [y/n]'s office. I need ta take some pain medicine, right fooking now." I walked with Jack back to my office, Mark just a few steps behind, chewing on his lip and looking anxious. I got Jack to one of the couches and sat down with him. He leaned into me and shuddered a little. Mark walked out of sight for a minute, but came back with Jack's coffee and his pain medicine. Jack took the pills and swallowed some coffee, making a face when he realized it was now quite cold. Mark chuckled. Jack snuggled in closer to me and closed his eyes. I leaned back, getting comfortable and looked at Mark. A minute or two later, Jack was sound asleep on my shoulder. Mark grabbed the throw blanket I kept in my office and draped it over Jack and I, before turning back to me. 

"What do you need, [y/n]? Pain medicines? Food? A drink? To have me turn the lights down so you can nap too? Just tell me."

I smiled a half smile. "I'm not really sleepy, thought I might fall asleep later. I could use some food though. And my laptop. I forgot it when I came back, since I was helping Jack. I could probably start working on the editing before long." I yawned a little, but my stomach growled far louder. I grimaced when I heard it, but Mark chuckled and told me it was cute. He retrieved my laptop for me and ordered some lunch for all of us. Jack woke up as soon as the food arrived. I giggled at his sleepy expression, asking "Did you dream of food, or did the smell wake you?"

Jack told me to shut up and took his food. I grabbed mine as well. We stayed where we were, cuddled up together, eating our lunch. Mark sat down on my other side, and Bob and Wade eventually wandered in as well. Everyone was eating when my crew decided to pop their heads in my office, having seen lights on for the first time in over a week. I gave them a little finger wave, but kept eating, knowing they would come in if they needed something. They grinned hugely at me and I heard several variations on the 'so glad you're back' and 'nice to see you healthy again' type comments. No one really needed anything, so they left after that. Bob and Wade finished eating and headed out to record a few more videos. Mark dragged Matt in to work on editing videos for his channel and Jack fell back asleep after he ate. I edited videos for a while, but eventually, the pain and exhaustion of my partly healed body overwhelmed my need to work and I too fell asleep. I woke up to Mark lifting the laptop off my lap and setting it on the table, making sure everything was saved. I sleepily thanked him. He turned back to me. "[Y/n], I didn't mean to wake you. Go back to sleep. You obviously need the rest." I nodded my head a little and gestured for Mark to sit down next to me. He did, wrapping his arms around me for a minute before letting go. He kissed me on the forehead briefly as well. I sighed and leaned into him, happy. Jack shifted slightly in his sleep, cuddling into my lap more. I smiled and fell back asleep. 

Mark woke us up to take us home later. I insisted on taking my laptop, in case I felt like editing videos, so Mark loaded it into the rolling carry case I used and we headed down to my car. We stopped for takeout on the way home, with Jack and I waiting in the car while Mark went in and got it. We spent a quiet evening together, working a little, me on editing mostly, and Jack and Mark answering social media, although I did do some social media updating of my own as well. We all headed to bed early. As I laid in bed, just before falling asleep, I smiled to myself. We were back at work, and the video recording was going fine. Jack's fans were super nice about my being in the videos and my channel was suddenly growing like mad. This would work. With one final thought for the night, wishing Jack, Mark and I were all in good health so we could explore the relationship we were all starting a bit more thoroughly, I fell asleep, my head on Jack's shoulder, and my legs tangled with Mark's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for all the typos in the last chapter. I guess posting at 2 AM isn't the best plan. ;) Also, sorry for the lack of update yesterday. Between travel and health issues, I just couldn't get anything finished.
> 
> I'm posting the first chapter of a second fiction today or tomorrow as a bonus! It's called "How We Met". Look for it (it's a Mark X Reader) if you want. I may switch my update schedule a little, alternating between these two, squeezing out extra chapters when I can, or I might just update that one 2 - 3 times a week, if I feel like I can get extra chapters done, leaving this one updated everyday. It will largely depend on my health.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Have a fab day. ;)


	22. The passage of time*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fairly major time skip here! (Nothing has really changed except Jack and the reader are finally healed up and the relationship between Jack, Mark, and the reader is stronger than ever.) 
> 
> Time for things to shake up a bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SMUT WARNING! This chapter has NSFW content. The rating is bumping up now, so be warned! Any future chapters with smut will also end with an *.

Our new filming arrangement was great. I would spend all morning with Jack, filming videos as his hands, adding sassy comments and the female perspective, while he did his usual exuberant commentary. I would then spend the afternoons editing and recovering. As we both healed up more, less time was needed for either of us to recover from the morning recording sessions and more time was spent on recording, editing, or working on the TV show. Jack had been fortunate. When he injured himself, they were on a filming hiatus and the writers were working on the next part of the season. They even worked in a bit about his shoulder, so he was able to wear the sling when filming resumed. Things were great at work. Mark and Jack and I were spending so much time together that we were getting extremely close. By the end of the time Jack was in his shoulder sling, everyone was so used to seeing the three of us together, they practically said all our names as one. No one questioned it, assuming we were all just really close friends. Dan stopped in to visit all the time as well, and he and I had really bonded. I had let him down as gently as I could on the romance front, and he decided he would rather be my best friend than not spend time with me. He had declared me his official little sister and treated me like one. I loved it. Time passed, as it always does and before we knew it, Jack was out of the sling and both of our ribs had healed completely. I still had to go to a cardiologist twice a year, but my heart was back to normal for me. 

About a week after Jack was taken out of the shoulder sling for good, I finally got up the nerve to ask him when he wanted to go back to recording his videos by himself. He looked quite startled. "Actually, [y/n], if ye don't mind, I think I want ye ta stay in most of them. The fans all love ye and it is so much more fun ta have some one ta record with." He leaned in and kissed me gently. "Besides, I like having someone sexy right there in tha chair next ta me. Although it can be tough not ta reach over and cover ye with kisses on camera. I think some of tha fans are suspicious, based on tha comments and some of tha fan art and fan fictions I've gotten." I blushed. I had gotten some as well, but Jack didn't need to know I had read them, thoroughly enjoying the creativity and, well, smutty minds of my fans. 

I turned to face Jack. "Alright, I'll keep recording games with you, BUT you are going to do the horror Let's Plays on your own. And there are a few of those games you are behind on so, you should start one this week. Also, now that you are healed up, you should go back to your VR videos. We could easily film a video together and you do one on your own for the second one of the day. Also, that way the change is less abrupt for the viewers. We can monitor the comments and see what they have to say about the return of solo Jack, okay? That should ease the whole situation some. And, yes I have seen the shippers too. My channel gets a lot of traffic nowadays, and the fans from you and Mark send me tons of messages. I have to be careful sometimes when I check my tags on Tumblr." Jack chuckled. "Well, anyway, let's record a video together and then you can work on a solo video. Unless you want to do another shared vlog for today's second video explaining the plan? In fact if you wanted, we could just do the shared vlog today and you could do a horror game or I could hook up the HTC Vive or your Oculus Rift. What do you want to do?"

Jack pulled in his lower lip as he thought for a minute. "How about if we shoot a couple of extra games together today and do tha shared vlog. That will give us a few more videos for the backup queue and we can hook tha Vive up for tomorrow. I know ye have said ye hate editing the horror games, so when I record one do ye want me ta have Matt work on them? I don't mind. Or I could do most of tha editing of those myself, I guess." I smiled at him.

"Jack, you are so busy already. We'll figure it out. Besides, the problem I had with the horror games was more about not taxing my heart. I'm a big ol' baby with horror. If you want to film them, I'll edit them, although I would appreciate the help, if you want to work on them with me. I really like working with you." I was blushing a little as I said this, and Jack leaned in close, cupping my chin as he lifted my face up to look in his eyes. His blue eyes were filled with emotion, and I'm sure he saw plenty in mine as well. Jack leaned in and placed a small, gentle kiss on my lips. I tilted my head, deepening the kiss slightly and throwing my arms around his neck. We stayed locked in this kiss and embrace for several minutes. When we separated, I leaned into Jack's shoulder placing a hand on my throbbing lips. They were so swollen they felt almost bruised. Even though Jack and Mark had agreed to a relationship, we had never been able to do anything about it, even moving on to little things like kissing because of Jack's injuries and my health issues as well. All our feelings had been simmering just below the surface, waiting to come forward. That kiss, although not the steamiest kiss ever, had definitely rekindled both our interests. I could feel Jack fighting back more, and when I looked in his eyes again now, they were no longer the clear, bright blue I was used to seeing, but a darker, lust filled blue that was exciting and a little startling. We leaned in and kissed each other, moaning slightly as we met. This was a fiery, passionate kiss, filled with all the repressed and unexplored longings we had. I opened my mouth slightly, and our tongues met for the first time. It was electrifying and we both forgot where we were and had no idea how long we were locked in that position, when we heard a throat being cleared behind us. We sprang apart almost guiltily. I looked back to see Mark, closing the recording booth door and locking it. I started to say something, anything to clear the air and apologize to Mark. "Mark, we didn't mean to " 

Mark silenced me with a wave of his hand. "Come here, both of you." We walked over, still a little unsteady from the emotional storm of our kisses. "I love you both, and have been waiting for you to get better so we could be together. I think we can all wait until tonight though, don't you? I mean the whole office has access to these booths and as much as I know we would like to start something, that's more than anyone needs to see of us." I swallowed, trying hard not to conjure up mental images of what would have happened if Mark hadn't stepped in when he did, and failing. I could feel the heat flush through me, and I saw Mark's eyes get darker when he noticed my change of expression. He shook his head. "Calm down. We can wait. Unless you want to go to your office, [y/n]? We could do it there if you really can't wait until tonight. You are the only one with a key after all, though if any of us get loud, people will figure it out. I don't want anyone risking their jobs." We reluctantly nodded agreement, Jack agreeing first, and I only agreed after I had seriously considered locking us all in my office. If I hadn't known other people would hear us, I probably would have risked getting caught, with the state I had worked myself into. I closed my eyes and did some deep breathing to calm myself down. 

When I was once again calm, I looked up at Mark. "Thank you for being the level headed one here." 

Mark grinned crookedly. "You're welcome, even if it nearly killed me. You two looked so hot and heavy I hated to interrupt, especially to break it up."

Jack stepped back and walked over to the recording desk. He turned back to me. "We better get started if we want ta get this done this morning. " I nodded and started to step toward him, when he added "Unless ye can't control yerself around me. If that's tha case I'll totally understand." Jack had a wicked glint in his eye as he teased me. I just sat down in the usual chair, 'accidentally' elbowing him as I went past. 

"Bring it on, greenie." Mark laughed and unlocked the door, stepping back out to record his own games as Jack and I recorded the agreed upon games and vlog. If there was a lot more flirting than some of the previous episodes, neither of us were going to complain and if it was too obnoxious I could always edit some of it out, although the fans would love it. We finished recording by noon and I got down to work editing. The vlog went up as the second video of the day, and the backup store of videos got several additions by the end of the day. My mind wandered quite a bit while I was editing, I must admit. I pushed through and finished my work in the end though. I finished well before the TV filming wrapped for the day however, so I sat down and worked on some content for my own channel, after checking with Matt that all of Mark's videos were edited already. I had gotten through all I wanted to do for my channel and was browsing social media, when I heard Jack and Mark coming down the hall. I turned my computer off and got ready to go home, finishing up just as Jack opened my office door the rest of the way. I grabbed my purse and we headed out. Jack decided to ride home with me, like he had almost everyday since Mark had stopped staying over constantly and driving us everywhere. Mark followed me home in his car. I unlocked the door and Jack bounded in, full of energy, as always. Mark followed, chatting with me as I closed and locked the door. We had stopped for food on the way home and ate in the living room, just a normal night to the casual observer. I could feel the electricity and anticipation in the air, and I know Jack and Mark felt it was well. We had just finished eating and I was putting the leftover food in the fridge when someone knocked at the front door. I told the guys I would go answer it, and be right back, so they should stay where they were. 

When I opened the front door, it was Dan. I stepped out when he said he wanted to talk with me. He raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything for a minute. Finally, I asked him what he wanted to talk about. He took a breath and launched in. "Hey [y/n], I know that you and Jack and Mark are all really close, and I know they have developed feelings for you. What are you going to do about it?"

"Uh, what do you mean, what am I going to do?" Had Dan somehow guessed something? What was going on? "Do I have to do something?"

Dan gave me a look. "You can't lead them on. They don't deserve it. And don't tell me they aren't both in there right now, waiting for you to go back in. I won't believe it. Who are you going to disappoint?"

I shook my head. "Dan, there are things you don't know, that I can't get into right now, that would take a long time to explain. Yes, Jack and Mark are both here. They are here a lot. So what? They know the situation. I'm not leading anybody on. I promise I will explain another time, okay? Please just trust me." Dan gave me a long, considering look.

"Okay, but if you need me I will be in my apartment. Don't let anyone bully you or push too hard okay? I'm worried is all."

I reached out and gave his hand a squeeze. "Thanks Dan. I do hear what you are saying and appreciate it, but I promise, everything is under control. We are just eating dinner and going to pal around like always." Dan gave my hand a squeeze back before walking down the few steps and over to his own front door. I watched him go before giving myself a mental shake and heading back in. It was time to see if this relationship was going anywhere. 

Jack looked up as soon as I entered the room, his eyes scanning my face for any sign of trouble. I explained it was just Dan checking on me and repeated the main points of the conversation. Jack came over and pulled me into his lap as I sat down on the couch. I snuggled into him, used to this, but when he reached out and kissed me, the closeness somehow seemed different than before. Before long the repressed heat and emotions were back with a vengeance. Mark came over, leaning in and nibbling my neck and shoulders, making me gasp into Jack's mouth. Jack seized the opportunity to once again deepen the kiss, exploring my mouth thoroughly with his tongue. I moaned deep in my throat, feeling heat spread through my body and swamp my mind. I grabbed Jack's shirt and began trying to remove it without breaking the kiss, but was having trouble. Eventually we broke apart enough for me to wrest him free and I began running my hands all over his torso. He kissed me again, moaning a little as my hands explored and caressed all him. Mark made a needy whining sound and we broke apart again and focused on him. We quickly removed his shirt, and Jack leaned in and began kissing his stomach and chest, while I leaned over and started making out with him. Before long we were all in a state, hot and bothered, ready for more. I suggested we move this party back to the bedroom, and both Jack and Mark practically sprinted down the hall. I shook myself out of the lust filled state I was in long enough to shut the lights off and double check the door was locked before I ran down the hall to join them. 

As I stepped into the room, I was greeted by the sight of the two men I dearly loved making out passionately, pants on the floor, only thin boxers separating their otherwise naked bodies. They were rubbing all over each other and groaning softly. It took my breath away. My god, they were gorgeous. I must have let out a noise that cut through their state because they both looked up at me at the same time, a lazy smile appearing on each of their faces. Jack said "Babe, I think ye need to join us. And yer wearing too many clothes. Let's get ye a bit more comfy, hmm?" Jack's accent was thick and sweet, almost as intoxicating as alcohol to me at this point. Mark nodded and they both got up and walked toward me. I was locked in place, lust making my knees weak. Jack grabbed the bottom of my shirt and lifted, tossing the clothing aside. I gasped at the slightly cooler air of the room, before Mark leaned over and kissed me again. He used his hands to brace my shoulders as Jack unbuttoned my pants and slowly worked them down my legs. I trembled slightly. Mark broke the kiss and reached forward, unclasping my bra, as Jack helped me step out of the pants now puddled on the floor. When my breasts were free, both Mark and Jack just stared for a moment, intent. I was feeling overheated, and the looks they were giving me weren't helping in the least. Jack murmured, "Yer's so beautiful." Mark swallowed hard and nodded. Somehow, they both stepped forward at the same time and scooped me up, carrying me between them. I squeaked a little, surprised by the sudden move, and by the sudden feel of my panties dropping off my foot. How had that happened? They dropped me gently on the bed, just admiring my totally naked state. I looked up at them through my lashes and whined a little. They were too far away, and wearing too many clothes. 

When I said that last part out loud, Mark and Jack both stepped out of their boxers and climbed down onto the bed with me. I admired both of them. Jack was lean, but strong, almost a swimmers build, pale, and so, so handsome. Mark was built more muscularly, was more tan, and had scars that I just wanted to kiss. He was equally gorgeous. Both of them were leaned over me in a way I couldn't really see their lower bodies, but I admired everything I could see, including the two perfect butts, slightly shining in the light coming through the closed blinds. The room was dim, but not dark, creating a wonderful atmosphere of mood lighting, with making it hard to see. I suddenly reached out and gave both men a hearty smack on the ass, making Mark growl low and Jack whine a little. We all resumed kissing every visible inch of each other, our hands roaming freely. When Jack leaned in and took on of my breasts in his mouth, I moaned. Mark looked right into my eyes and grabbed the other one, making me moan and writhe under the combined touches. He quickly replaced his hands with his mouth and I squirmed, the sensations overwhelming me for a few minutes. I reached out and grabbed both men, feeling the hard, velvety length of each of them, one in each hand. They moaned into my breasts. Soon all that could be heard was grunting, moaning, and quiet gasps for breath. After a few minutes of this, Mark pulled back and growled a low sexy, "Enough." I looked at him and took my hand away. He moved over to align himself with me, fingering my pussy and grinning. "You're so wet, [y/n]. Are you ready for me?" I nodded. I couldn't take much more teasing. Mark eased himself into me, going so slowly I thought I would lose my mind. He stopped several times to ask me if I wanted more. I nodded and growled. 

After the third such stop and tease, I blurted out "Come on, hurry up already!. And Jack, get up here! I want to suck you off." 

Jack groaned and moved to comply while Mark chuckled at my impatience. As soon as Jack was close enough I began licking him, concentrating on the sensitive head and slit with my mouth, as I worked my hands up and down his length and gently cupped his balls. He moaned, a highly erotic sound that made Mark's eyes darken even further. He growled out comment my brain was too overheated to comprehend and Jack responded. Just the sexy timbre of their voices was getting to me. Mark sped up a little more and began thrusting harder. I moaned into Jack, making him twitch under my hands and in my mouth. I sped up my pace a little too, and soon heard Jack cry out "Shit! I'm gonna ", right before my mouth filled up with his cum. I swallowed as much as I could and felt my own climax nearing. Mark grunted and warned me he was really close, too. 

A few more thrusts later, I felt him cum hard. That nearly sent me over the edge as well, but something held me back just slightly. I was so close, it was maddening. Mark fell back on the bed, spent. Jack moved to take over where Mark had just been, quickly entering me and finding his own rhythm. He drove a slightly faster pace than Mark and within a moment I was gone, my orgasm bursting through me like fireworks. I didn't even hear Jack cry out as he too, came again. We all laid back on the blankets, tired but happy. Mark was the first to sit up, dragging us all up the bed a little and laying clean blankets over us, throwing the dirty bedspread off the side of the bed to wash tomorrow. I cuddled into Marks chest, snuggling my bottom into Jack and fell asleep, feeling content and happy. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;) Sexy fun times.


	23. Facing the Music

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to face the light of day after your fun last night. Will things be weird, and were you all quiet enough or did someone else hear?

I woke up slowly, feeling our *exercise*, from the night before. I was sore, since it had been a while since I had *exercised* like this, or really at all. I also felt some very interesting things going on below the covers. I opened my eyes and saw Mark staring at me, hunger in his eyes. I gave him a kiss, just a chaste kiss on the lips, because I was afraid of my morning breath, but a sweet, tender kiss none the less. He reached for me, but I started to roll away, only to be stopped by Jack, looking equally aroused and awake on my other side. I gave him a kiss as well. "Good morning guys. How did you sleep?" 

Jack raised an eyebrow at me. "How did I sleep? Is that all ye've got ta say this mornin'?" He looked over at me and pulled me in closer, whispering in his deep sexy voice "Don't ye want ta just spend tha day in bed with us?" I shivered.

I didn't exactly try to pull out of his grasp, but I did say "As much as I would love to, and believe me I REALLY want to, we have work this morning. Besides, we might wake up the neighbors upstairs." Jack and Mark both looked at the ceiling and turned a little pale. 

I heard Mark mutter, "Shit. Bob has really good hearing, too. Oh god, do you think they heard anything? Do you think he or Mandy will say anything?"

Jack let me go reluctantly. "My apartment's no better. We would have Danny next door and Wade and Molly upstairs. Ye've got Matt and Ryan at ye're place. What are we gonna do?"

I cleared my throat, a little hesitantly. They both looked at me, one pair of bright blue eyes and one pair of dark chocolate brown ones. All traces of lust were gone now, banished by panic. "Well, first let's move out of the bedroom to the main part of the house." I was keeping my voice low, but I knew Bob and Mandy might still be able to hear us if we weren't very quiet. I walked out of the bedroom to the spare room, knowing it was likely to be empty upstairs. Jack and Mark followed me, sitting down beside me on the edge of the bed. "Okay, look I know you guys are a little freaked out, but we could either tell them the truth or just ignore it completely. I think Dan has already guessed a lot more than I have told him, and he was pretty insistent last night that we sit down VERY soon and talk about it. I really want to tell him the truth. I doubt he will be judgemental. Bob and Wade have been your friends for a long time Mark, do you think this will cause them to change their minds? I can't decide for you, and will go along with whatever you decide to tell them, but I hate lying to people about this. It has messed things up for me far worse than just being honest in the past. Now, relax, I'm not saying we shout it from the rooftops or tell either of your fans bases, or even mine, although I have mentioned in some of my videos that I'm poly and explained it. The less confusion and more honesty there is on the subject, the less fear and confusion can lead to hatred and problems. I will leave those decisions entirely up to you as to when and if you ever want to discuss them. But Bob, Mandy, Dan, and probably Wade and Molly, are our friends and more pressing concern here. So what do you want to do?"

Jack scratched his chin for a minute thinking. He spoke next, also quietly. "I think ye should tell Danny at least. He won't judge, although he might be a little hurt ye didn't tell him about that side of yerself sooner." I nodded, hoping he was right. "As for Bob, I think we need ta talk ta him and Wade today. Probably Matt and Ryan too, since it does kind of effect them as well. But not at work. Maybe invite them over for dinner?"

I swallowed and nodded, thinking about what to cook for this extremely awkward conversation. Mark added, "Yeah. We better invite Mandy and Molly too. Should we invite Danny, Arin, and Suzy? I mean they are our friends as well and they are going to figure something out, especially if we tell everyone else. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings by leaving them out. Plus, it would mean only one awkward conversation, instead of half a dozen. [Y/n], what do you think?" 

"I think we better not invite anyone else after that though. My apartment isn't that big. We are going to have to stop and do some shopping this evening, or at least I am, if I'm going to cook for that many people. Also, I'm going to text Dan and see if he can meet for lunch to talk this over with him. If I spring it on him with a whole group there, it will be really bad. I don't want to do that to him, and I want to be able to really talk to him about things. I have the feeling he may want to talk to you both as well, but I will try to make sure he's not too angry."

Mark sighed and nodded. "This started off as such a wonderful morning, too." I leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"It will be okay. Besides, any mornings after this will be much better since we won't have to hide or worry about other people's reactions. Although, we may have to put up some sound proofing, just in case." I winked at the two of them. "I have some ideas I want to try, and things may get a little loud." With that comment thrown over my shoulder, I sashayed out of the room, heading to the bathroom, where I took a long hot shower. I got out and was getting ready for work, when I noticed Mark and Jack had come back into my bedroom and were sitting on the bed watching me. "Can I do something for you guys, or are you just here to enjoy the view?" I sassed. 

They looked at each other. "The view." I laughed, finished getting dressed, brushed out my hair and styled it before applying minimal makeup. I didn't typically wear much makeup, but today I felt the need. I turned to Mark and Jack once more, asking if they were ready. They nodded and we all left for work. After I parked in my usual spot, I got out of the car and started heading into the building, absentmindedly texting Dan as I went. I invited him over for lunch and asked him to meet me at my office. I informed the secretary I would be expecting him and asked her to buzz him up. She agreed and I headed for my office. Mark and Jack headed immediately to their recording spaces and after I got my things put away, I headed back to the booth in between the recording areas. Today would be just like when they first got here, with me monitoring both of them while I sat in the separate booth. Jack recorded three games on the VR equipment before he stopped. I looked up. It was almost ten-thirty. He stepped out and headed back to my office for some coffee and to see if Bob and Wade were here yet. I didn't say anything, but I knew why he was going. Mark kept recording for another hour, working on a longer play through. When he finally finished, he headed out for my office as well. I slowly gathered everything up, making sure all the footage had save to my hard drive correctly and the video I had started editing wouldn't crash if I unplugged the power cord for a few minutes. When I was sure everything was okay, I walked back to my office, slowly. I didn't know what to expect when I got there, but what I saw certainly wasn't it. No one was even there! I put my things down and shrugged, deciding to get back to work for a little while until Dan was free. He had texted me back around nine he would be over when he could get free, and he would bring some food. I grabbed a bottle of tea and focused my attention on editing. I finished two of Jack's videos by one o'clock, when Dan showed up. I got up and gave him a friendly hug, before getting up and putting the out of office sign on my door, so we wouldn't be disturbed. Mark and Jack knew I was still there and most of my crew would guess, but no one would disturb us unless they absolutely had too this way. Dan got out the food as he looked around. He whistled softly, commenting how nice this was. I explained why my office was so large and had so many amenities, making Dan laugh. 

We settled in on one of the couches and started to eat. I offered him a drink and he opted for a bottle of iced tea. I handed it to him and got myself another one. After a few minutes I looked over at him. He was looking at me, clearly waiting for me to start. I sighed and cleared my throat, a little nervously. "Dan, I promised you an explanation yesterday. You totally deserve one." I closed my eyes for just a second before continuing. "I don't know if you watch any of my videos or not, but there is something I haven't told you about myself. It's not a secret, but I don't blurt it out at the drop of a hat either. The reason I mentioned my channel is I have talked about it over there some." I looked up at him, seeing he had no idea what I was talking about. I shook my head. "Nevermind, it's not important that you know what I mean yet. I'll explain it to you now. I'm polyamorous. I told Jack and Mark several months ago, when they both expressed their feelings to me for the first time, before Jack got hurt. I know I should have told you sooner, but I didn't want to have things get weird between us or feel like I was leading you on." I looked down again. God, this was hard. Almost as hard as the day I told my family. I picked up my bottle of tea and took a long drink before continuing again. "Jack and Mark and I all agreed to be in a relationship together. We hadn't done anything besides kiss until last night, mostly because of concerns about Jack's health and mine, but also because we were still figuring things out. Everyone of us knows what the others feel and we set very clear guidelines. So far, even though they both agreed they would be boyfriends and have me as a girlfriend, they are still just really close friends. I'm telling you, because I trust you. And I hope this doesn't ruin our friendship." I hide my face behind my hair, hoping he couldn't see the tears that were gently siding down my cheeks though the silky curtain. 

He grabbed my chin, wiping away tears with his thumb. "Of course not, [y/n]. Don't cry, babe. I still think of you as one of my best friends. Besides, you already told me you were poly. When I met your friends Lia and Greg." He leaned in and hugged me. I felt a whole lot better. "Now, that I know what's going on better, I can stop worrying. You obviously have dealt with some of these things before, so I trust you know what your doing. If those two bozos get out of line, let me know, I can still kick their asses for you." 

I smiled. "Thanks Dan. For understanding and for offering to kick their butts. I think I can keep them in line, however. All I would really have to do is tell them I would stop cooking and baking for them, although I don't know if I could handle the tears."

That startled a loud and long laugh out of Dan. "Oh my god, yes. That's better than anything I could do to them. Oh, that's so perfect." 

"Speaking of food, we decided this morning that we better tell some of our friends, particularly since we aren't really trying to keep this a secret. So I am having a dinner party tonight. Bring and appetite. My house around seven, okay? And you are going to hear this over again then, but I didn't want to spring this on you in front of anyone else. Besides, I figured this way I would have one more person in my corner tonight if things get weird." He nodded. "I was thinking of inviting Suzy and Arin. Do you think we should tell them too? I mean since they live in the same complex and are going to be seeing us so often together, I don't want it to be uncomfortable for any of us. Mark suggested it." 

Dan agreed, and told me he would pass the message on to them. Then he stood up to leave, wrapping me in a big hug. Just then the door opened and Jack and Mark looked in nervously. I giggled into Dan's chest when I saw their expression. Dan looked over at them, a stern expression on his face. They both stepped in and closed the door. Before anyone else could say anything, I jumped in. "Thanks for understanding Dan. I'll see you tonight." Dan looked at me and winked in a way the other two couldn't see, put his stern face back on, and gave them a look as he walked out the door. It was all I could do not to fall on the floor from laughing so hard. Jack and Mark gave me confused and somewhat unsettled looks. I finally calmed down. "He wasn't mad at you, he was giving you a hard time. We had already finished talking and he agreed to invite Arin and Suzy over tonight. He was hugging me goodbye when you stepped in. You guys had the funniest facial expressions ever!"

Jack made a grumpy noise. "Hmph. Whatever. So I take it tha talk went well." I nodded. 

Mark smiled, a sweet open smile. "Bob hasn't said anything to me, but he has looked over at the two of us oddly a few times. I think he suspects something. Anyway, we are on a short break, and saw the door was closed and the lights were on, so we decided to check on you. I know you were nervous about telling Danny the truth." 

I smiled a little. "Yeah, he took it much better than some of my friends and family have in the past. That's why I was nervous. Speaking of families, we probably should tell ours, especially if any of your friends talk to your families. Is there anyone else you think we should tell in the near future? Any other friends, colleagues, or who ever?"

Jack looked thoughtful for a minute. "Felix. And maybe Ken." Mark nodded, but didn't add anyone else. 

"Okay. First group tonight, tomorrow phone families and Skype friends. Okay?" I sat down. I was emotionally drained, but also still nervous about tonight. I suddenly realized we had never contacted Molly or Mandy, so I texted them the invites to my apartment. "Okay, Molly and Mandy are invited. Dan knows and will invite Arin and Suzy. Have you guys asked Matt, Ryan, Bob and Wade yet?" They shook their heads. I sighed and got up, walking over to my door. When I opened it to take down the sign, I saw everyone standing outside, looking like lost puppies. I laughed. " Get in here. They all came in, Matt and Ryan in the lead, full of excited energy, followed by Wade with his long loping strides. Bob brought up the rear. "How long have you been waiting out there?"

Wade looked a little sheepish. "Um, since we couldn't find Mark or Jack in their offices or the bathrooms. We heard you say Molly and Mandy were invited to something. What's going on?" The other three nodded. 

I sighed. "I'm inviting everyone over for dinner tonight. Be at my apartment at seven. You don't need to bring anything. Now when do you need to be back in the studio to film?" 

Bob looked at his watch. "Yikes! Uh, now actually. Come on guys." Everyone trouped out of my office, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I sat down on the couch and leaned back. This was going to be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, thanks for the lovely kudos and comments. They really make my day! 
> 
> If you like this fiction, I have another one, How We Met, that I just uploaded the second chapter of. It's not a polyamory, but it is a female Reader X Markiplier. Jack plays a big role in it as well. Just an FYI. Now, I'm going to go. Two chapters of 2500 to 3000+ words in one day is making my brain cramp. 
> 
> As always if you see something that seems wrong, let me know. I often write these chapters late at night or on very little sleep. I do all my own proofreading too, so sometimes I miss things. Have a fabulous day! :)


	24. An Evening of Awkwardness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for dinner with friends...
> 
> ...And afterward, a prank war. :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter today!

I finished all the video editing Mark and Jack had left by four pm. Since I didn't have anything else to do, I left texts for Jack and Mark, asking Jack to ride back to my place with Mark, because I was leaving early. I shut everything down and locked my office up, making sure no one had left anything they might need before the next day in there. I was relatively confident no one had, so I locked the door and headed down to my car. I drove the few blocks to the grocery store and parked in the closest spot I could find. I knew this was going to be a big shopping trip, since even my freezers were looking bare. I grabbed a cart and started gathering the essentials. By the time I was done, my cart was heaped up high, and I had a plan for the dinner tonight. I was going to make fajitas, Mexican rice, homemade salsa and guacamole, tortilla chips, and some fancy homemade ice cream sandwiches. I smiled as I paid and loaded my car with my reusable shopping bags (hey, gotta save the planet and these bags were far stronger than the flimsy plastic ones most stores were using lately), noting I still needed to buy a few other things for my apartment. I stopped at another local store, one that carried just about everything, and ran in for a new ice cream machine (I needed a bigger one), a tortilla press, and some potted herbs and plants I wanted to put around the apartment. I hadn't been able to go outside and garden in the apartments, like I could at my last home, which had made use of a community garden, and I missed having plants around. Besides, the herbs, in addition to being fragrant and friendly looking, were great for cooking. I bought some spearmint plants, basil, oregano, and cilantro plants. 

I loaded the plants and kitchen tools and drove home. It was nearly five o'clock now and I had asked everyone to come around seven. I unloaded my car, grabbed a quick shower, and changed into jeans and a tee shirt. I grabbed my apron and started chopping. Before long the salsa was in the fridge, the fajita steak was marinating, all the veggies were chopped and the cookies were baking for the ice cream sandwiches. Since I knew everyone loved my homemade banana chocolate cookies, I was using them as the base,. I started mixing the ingredients for the ice cream next, making sure everything was extremely cold as I worked. I made two batches, one banana, banana liquor, and mini chocolate chips, and one chocolate with raspberry liquor. I stuck the ice cream bases in the freezer for twenty minutes and moved on to the tortillas. After I had made the dough and pressed a few dozen tortillas out, I moved the first batch of ice cream base to the machine and turned it on, I moved the second batch to the fridge, and started frying the tortillas, putting the finished ones in a tortilla warmer on the counter. When the ice cream was done, I moved it to the freezer, washed the machine out carefully and made the second batch. Once it, too, was in the freezer and the guacamole was chilling in the fridge, I grabbed some cilantro and chopped it up to garnish the dishes. I loaded the rice in the rice cooker and added the seasonings, herbs, and spices, starting it at six fifteen. I stepped back and moved the cookies from the cooling rack to a platter, except for the small plate I held in reserve to make the ice cream sandwiches. I set the platter of cookies, a tray of cups, plates, flatware, and napkins on the table in the living room. I ran back into the kitchen and started assembling ice cream sandwiches, wrapping each one in parchment paper before putting it back in the freezer. The ice cream was the perfect firmness, just soft enough to spread on the cooled cookies, but not soft enough to be runny or melt right away. I worked quickly, making as many ice cream sandwiches as I had ice cream for, only leaving three small containers of both flavors swirled together. I looked around. I did a mental checklist and realized everything was ready except the actual fajitas and grating some cheese. I grabbed my food processor and grated the cheese and started cooking the fajita vegetables. Once they were done, I set them aside in a bowl and covered it, before frying the meat. When it was done I added a lid to the skillet to keep it warm and removed the pan from the stove top. I looked at the time again. Six thirty-five. I sighed and took off my apron, folding it in half and hanging it back up on the hook I had put up on the kitchen wall. I checked the rice, but it wasn't quite done yet. I gave it a stir and put the spoon on the spoon rest next to the rice cooker to dip the food with later. I puttered around, washing the few dishes I hadn't gotten to yet and waited. In just a few minutes, at six forty, Jack and Mark knocked on the door. I let them in and followed them into the living room. They looked almost as nervous as I felt. I suggested they start a game on Steam to relax and I would join them. I got up once more heading into the kitchen, and grabbed drinks to put out and a small bucket of ice. I put them on the table with the rest of the stuff and sat back down. I grabbed my Steam controller and we all settled in playing a round of Ultimate Chicken Horse that got way too crazy far more quickly than any of us expected. We were laughing and had relaxed by the time people actually started arriving, and Mark got up to answer the door the first time, having already died this round. Dan, Suzy, and Arin came in, and I jumped up, right as I finished the level and Jack died again. I didn't quite do a victory dance, but I did fist pump in the air once, making everyone except Jack and Mark laugh. They were pouting and telling me that I wasn't being very sportsman like, or I must be cheating. I laughed and offered drinks and snacks around. Just as I was settling the guacamole and salsa out, there was another knock on the door. Molly, Wade, Bob, and Mandy were all standing there. I invited them in and saw Matt and Ryan running up the walk from their car. I waved them in as well and offered the newcomers drinks. When everyone was settled in, I told them dinner was ready whenever we got hungry. I wanted to wait to talk until after everyone had their food. The YouTubers all made a beeline for the kitchen after grabbing the plates I had set out. I took the covers off the food and gave the rice one last stir, adding dipping spoons and tongs as needed to various bowls and dishes. Everyone was impressed with the spread and Mark and Jack grinned at me. I winked. They were the only ones who knew I hadn't made anything until after work. Suzy and Dan would definitely have believed me, having seen me in my cooking frenzy mode a few times before, but I didn't know about any of the others. I told them I had made dessert as well, mentioning the adult ice cream sandwiches, but not telling them anything about them. Everyone dug in, and the food was soon demolished. 

Jack offered to put the food away, and I nodded. He knew where everything was, having basically lived here for months now. Mark gathered the dishes and started washing them. I walked into the kitchen and thanked them both, giving them quick kisses on the cheeks, completely innocent as far as anyone else could tell. I walked back into the living room where all out friends were now gathered and sat down next to Dan. He looked at me and smiled, knowing what was coming. I swallowed a large drink of iced tea and looked around at everyone. They were all relaxed and chatting happily. It was time to have our chat. I waited for a natural lull in the conversation and dove in, head first. "Thanks for coming over everybody. I'm glad you could all make it. I love cooking for people and having friends over." I took a deep breath. The moment of truth was at hand. "I also had an ulterior motive for having you over tonight though. I wanted to have a chat and tell you a few things. I know you are going to have questions, and I will try to answer them, but please know, while this is far from a secret, it isn't something I tell everyone right away either. " I took another sip of tea before continuing, "There isn't exactly an easy way to say this, so I will just come right out with it. I'm polyamorous. If you don't know what it means, I will explain, but a surprising number of people seem to already, and I don't want to insult anyone." I took a few deep breaths, letting the news sink in before looking around again. Suzy and Arin were smiling encouragingly, Ryan looked stunned, and Matt nodded slowly. Wade looked slightly shocked as well. Mandy and Molly exchanged a look. Bob kept a neutral expression. 

Matt was the first to speak up. "Actually, I already knew that. I watch your channel and saw your videos on it. They were really good and have been getting a lot of very positive attention on several sites besides YouTube, in case you didn't know."

I looked over at him. "Actually, a few sites have contacted me asking to repost, but it has only been a few. Why? Are there more than that linking to me?" Matt nodded. I smiled a little. Jack and Mark walked in and sat down, Jack sitting next to me on the other side and Mark sitting down on the floor at Jack's feet. I smiled at them and they smiled back at me. 

Molly caught the exchange and a sudden look of realization crossed her face. "Um, does this have anything to do with Jack and Mark?"

Jack actually was the one to answer. "Yeah. She actually told us all this before tha whole hospital fiasco. We talked about it for a long time. Mark and I are in a relationship with her and each other. We just wanted ta tell ye before someone saw something or said something. We don't want ta hide this from our friends, but we aren't exactly going public yet." 

Bob looked at the three of us. "I just have one question. How long have you been together?" He pushed his glasses up.

I answered. "Well, we have technically been in a relationship since Jack and Mark got back from the last convention, but, well, we weren't in a physical relationship until VERY recently." I blushed a little. "And by physical, I mean anything more than an occasional chaste kiss, friendly hug, or cuddling, fully clothed." 

Mandy looked over at us and raised an eyebrow. "You said until very recently, huh. Like last night? I thought I heard something. Bob didn't, but I was fairly sure. I just didn't know who was involved." Mark, Jack, and I all started blushing madly. 

Arin and Dan started laughing. Arin gasped out around laughs, "Oh my god. You are so busted! The looks on your faces..." Suzy tried to hide her smile and shush him, but he just kept laughing. I blushed even harder. 

Wade was just shaking his head, looking back and forth between the three of us. I could see he was trying to form questions, but nothing was coming to him. I smiled over at him. "If you have a question, you can ask. And that doesn't even mean just right now. If you think of something later, one of us will try and answer. You are all our friends and we know you might be curious." Everyone nodded. I stood up. "Okay, well unless anyone has an immediate question, I'm going to go bring us some desserts. Anyone want to help me carry?" Mark and Jack jumped up, tripping each other in the process. Dan stood up, stepped over Jack and Mark, and followed me into the kitchen. I started pulling the ice cream sandwiches out of the freezer, grabbing small plates, and handing them to Dan. Mark and Jack took several ice cream sandwiches to each and I grabbed the rest. We headed back into the living room and began handing them out, after I explained the flavor combinations. There were enough of each flavor for everyone to have at least one, and I still had extra. After the food was distributed, I carried the extras back into the kitchen and put them in the freezer, before heading back in to sit down next to Dan and Jack again. The topic changed to games as everyone ate. We were all discussing whether or not revisiting old games was a good idea, or if we should only stick with the hottest new titles. Eventually, Arin and Suzy excused themselves, claiming they were too tired to stay any longer. I excused myself to walk them out. I was surprised when each of them leaned in and gave me a hug. I wished them good night and closed the door behind them.

Bob and Mandy left next. As I was walking them out, Mandy leaned in and whispered "I'd wish you good luck, but somehow I doubt you'll need it." I smiled and she winked at me. I hugged her goodbye and told Bob I would see him at work in the morning. He grinned and waved as he walked away. 

Matt and Ryan stayed about another half hour, before they made their own excuses, claiming they were going to go film something since they knew Mark wouldn't walk in in the middle of it and screw it up. We all laughed at the outrage on Mark's face. "I do not screw things up!" He shouted, but his voice was so high it squeaked at the end. 

I leaned over and said "Oh, of course you do, babe." Making everyone laugh even harder, except Mark. Jack practically fell off the couch he was laughing so hard. Mark crossed his arms, grumpily, and scowled at everyone. I got up and wished Matt and Ryan a good night, closing the door behind them. When I came back, Dan and Wade were whispering something back and forth. I told Mark it was time to stop pouting and helped him up off the floor, where he was sitting at Jack's feet again. I turned to Wade, Molly, and Dan. "Do you guys want to play some games?"

Wade shook his head. "Molly and I better head out too. Come on sweetheart." He helped Molly to her feet as he stood up to go. I walked them out, wondering what Dan had been so intent on talking to Wade about. I had my suspicions, but I wanted to be a good host and see my guests out. When I got outside, Wade started trying to draw me into a conversation. Yup. Dan was definitely going to be having a discussion with Jack and Mark. Molly was giving Wade strange looks and looked completely baffled by my amused expression. 

Finally, when Wade had finished, I leaned over to Molly and said, "It's so cute, the way he is trying to distract me so Dan can make sure Jack and Mark are aware he's watching them. Almost, like I wouldn't figure it out." Molly giggled helplessly as Wade's jaw dropped.

"But... But... I didn't... How did you... Wait, what?" 

I smirked. "Oh, please. You both were kind of obvious. Now I'll see you tomorrow okay? I think I better go rescue Jack and Mark." Molly grabbed Wade's arm and dragged him home, waving goodbye and thanking me for a wonderful meal as she went. I smiled and waved back as I went back inside, completely silently. I even managed to get into the kitchen without anyone hearing me. I spied on the guys through the pass through. Dan was sitting in between them talking intently and clearly trying to intimidate them. They all had their backs to me, so they didn't know I was there. I grinned, an evil plan coming into my head. I grabbed the ice bucket off the table behind them as I crept in, staying low to the floor so my reflection wouldn't even show up in the TV in front of them, taking extra care to be absolutely silent. When I got to the spot just behind them, I knelt on the floor and lifted the lid to the ice. The next time Dan threatened either of them I was going to spring into action. It didn't take very long, less than a minute in fact. He was just laying down the law when suddenly I sprang up, grabbed the back of his tee shirt and dumped a handful of ice down his shirt. He jumped, swore, and yelled something incoherent. "I can handle myself Dan." Jack and Mark were trying desperately not to laugh, probably afraid I would attack them next. I Turned to Mark, who was losing the battle more than Jack. "Is something funny? Did I say something to amuse you?" 

Mark shook his head, swallowing. "No, [y/n]. I just never saw Danny move that fast before." 

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you laughing at my friend now?" A dangerous glint was in my eye, but Mark didn't see it. Jack did and was trying to signal to Mark to shut up. 

"Maybe. I mean..." Suddenly, I sprang into action again and now it was Mark's turn to jump around shivering and swearing. "What the actual hell? Why? Holy balls, that's cold!"

I laughed, stating "Not so cocky now, huh. Now sit down, both of you. It's just ice. I could have come up with something far more devious. As you just saw, I can be creative in my ways of torture if I have too. And I strike fast." I glanced at Jack. "At least Jack knew not to taunt me, Mark. This was originally just supposed to be a rescue mission, but you were just too sassy for your own good." Dan was back to normal, but he was sitting on the other side of the room, thinking he was out of range. He grinned at me. "Dan, as much as I appreciate the thought, I can handle myself. I told you that earlier. Now, are you going to behave, or will I need to find a new way to get you in line?

Dan stood up and raised his hands. "No need. I'm going to head home. I think I made my point, and you definitely made yours." I walked Dan out the door. He leaned over and gave me a big hug. "Bye, [y/n]. I'll talk to you soon. Let me know if I need to read anyone the riot act, okay?" I swatted him on the shoulder, gently. And waved him away, shaking my head. 

That had all gone much better than I had dared to hope. Now, Jack, Mark, and I could just spend a quiet evening together, relaxing, gaming, or doing whatever we wanted. I suspected Mark was going to try to get me back for the ice prank, so I wandered over to my car. I had the keys in my pocket so I climbed into the backseat and crouched down, watching my front door through the rear view mirror, which I had adjusted as I got in. I knew no one would be able to see me from where I was now, at least not without getting in my car or being so close I would see them from far away. I locked the doors and waited, pulling out my cell phone and keeping one eye on the image in the mirror. After only a minute, Mark texted me asking where I was. I didn't respond. He came over to the door and opened it, sticking his head out. I saw him look for my car. I stayed absolutely still. He texted again. 

Mark: Um, where are you? Jack and I are waiting...

Mark: Okay, seriously. WTH? Where did you go?

Mark: ... 

Mark: If you don't respond, I'm going to come looking for you...

I texted jack. Me (to Jack): Hey, Jack. Tell Mark to calm down. He's making a scene. I doubt Bob and Wade want to see him have a tantrum.

Jack: What are you up to?

Me (to Jack): Up to? What makes you think I'm up to something? 0:) 

Mark: Okay, SERIOUSLY, WTAF!!! You'll talk to Jack but not me? I'm hurt, :'(

I put my phone down, making sure to turn the screen off and the phone on silent. I had seen Mark walking my way. It was dark enough I knew he would never see me without a flashlight and the only things in his hands were his phone and what looked like a water balloon. Poor Mark. So predictable. I saw him walk past my car after seeing the doors were all locked and look down the street, probably thinking I had gone for a walk. After a minute he walked back up to the apartments and went over to Dan's front door. As Dan answered, I moved over to the door that was facing away from Dan's apartment and reached up to unlock the door. Mark stepped inside Dan's apartment, clearly not believing I wasn't inside. I giggled a little and sprang out of my car. I shut the door quietly, re-locking it as I went, making sure to grab my phone, and ran in my front door. I got inside just as Dan's front door opened. Jack, called out, "Hey Mark, did ye find her?" I shut my front door quickly and locked it. Mark didn't have a key yet, so I knew he wouldn't be able to sneak up on me. I put on an innocent face and walked into the living room, where Jack was sitting, looking at his phone intently. He looked up and did a double take. "[Y/n]! Where did ye go, just now? Mark went out looking for ye."

I feigned surprise. "Did he? I didn't see him. Hmm, I wonder where he could be?" 

Jack looked at me, raising an eyebrow. "Really? That was a little too obvious. How did ye know he had something planned? And how do ye know I don't?"

I grinned. "Mark walked out of here with a water balloon in his hands. Besides, he can be pretty easy to figure out. You can be too, but I have ways to keep you in line. Like fresh baked cookies. " I held up two of the cookies I had made earlier. 

Jack laughed. "Is that all you think ye've got?" I smirked and shook my head. I started doing a sexy little dance, leaned over, and kissed him. When we broke apart, he was breathing hard "Yeah, okay, ye win. Ye fight dirty though." I laughed, a throaty chuckle." Jack looked up at me. "Where is Mark, anyway? He said he would be right back." 

I got my phone out. I had several more messages from Mark. I relented and texted him back finally. Me (to Mark): Hey, where are you? Jack and I are getting lonely... ;) 

Mark: ... ...You're home? How the hell did you get past me? 

Me: I have my ways. Now put the water balloon down and maybe I'll let you back in...

Mark: ... ...Alright, alright, I give up. How did you know about the water balloon? 

Me: ;)

Mark: Um, the door is locked.

Me: I know. I said put the water balloon down. Then I MIGHT let you in. 

Mark spun around slowly, looking for how I could possibly see him from wherever I was. He failed to notice the security camera, which was ancient and looked completely fake. It actually was, being make of plastic, but there was a small webcam installed inside that was connected directly to my wifi and streamed to my phone, allowing me 24 hour access to the view of my front door and parking space. I hadn't told Jack, Mark, or anyone else about it, finding it useful. Mark eventually set the balloon down, but did so in a way that it didn't pop, and he would be able to grab it in a second. I shook my head. 

Me: Not good enough, Markimoo. Do you want in, or not?

Mark: ... ...Okay, you're starting to freak me out. 

Me: All part of my plan. Now, Jack and I are about to head back to bed. Do you want in or not? 

Mark: :( Without me? But, but, but...

Me: Get rid of the water balloon. Then ask nicely and I will probably let you in. 

Mark, with shoulders sagging, steeped on the water balloon. It popped and I walked to the front door, with Jack following me curiously. I unlocked everything except my reinforced hotel chain lock, opening the the door only as wide as the chain would allow. I looked out at Mark, giving him a look. "Will you behave now? Or do you want to spend the night somewhere else, with no car? You left your keys in here before you tried to get me back, you know. Rule number one of a prank war, Mark. Always have a backup plan. Oh, and rule number two, by the way? Don't start a prank war with me. You can't win. Jack wisely surrendered without a fight. You're all on your own big guy." Mark looked at me, astonished and reached into his pockets, checking for his car keys. I held them up on the end of one of my fingers, just out of his grasp. "Looking for these?" 

Jack started laughing behind me. I put the keys out of Mark's reach, and turned to look at Jack. He was laughing so hard he started hiccuping. He finally choked out "Ye... planned... this... didn't... ye? It's too perfect." He had to lean on the wall to keep himself from falling over. I know Mark heard, because when I turned back around his eyes were huge.

I gave him and evil smile. "Jack figured it out. Now, what to do about you?" I crossed my arms and put a finger on my chin, tapping it as though I was thinking hard. 

Mark swallowed and looked at me. "I'm sorry, [y/n]. I won't do it again. Please let me in. I REALLY don't want to have to explain this to Wade, Bob, or anyone else for that matter. Oh, god, can you imagine how much they would tease me?" 

Suddenly, we heard a peel of laughter from above us. Bob's voice rang out, "Don't worry Mark, I'm sure it won't be that bad. I mean what can she do to you? Make you beg and crawl?" Mark's eyes got huge and he looked at me pleadingly. I gave him a bland look. Maybe he would figure out he what he needed to do to be let back in. Mark continued trying to beg with his eyes. Finally, Bob yelled out again "You doofus, tell her your sorry and maybe she'll let you in. This is better than TV I swear."

Mark blushed and apologized, promising he would behave and not try to prank me anymore. I smiled and reached over to unlock the door, letting, my tee shirt slip a little lower as I leaned. Mark swallowed hard. I had hidden his keys in my bra, which he had seen me do, but I somehow doubted he was looking at the keys as he stared. I opened the door with a sassy wink and gestured for him to come in. He did and I closed the door behind him. I stepped forward, telling Jack to calm down and started walking back up the hall toward the bedrooms, pausing long enough to reach in a fish out Mark's keys and drop them in the bowl in the hall. I heard the boys following me and smiled. I was having fun. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to WanderingButLost for catching the mistake in the last chapter! I had actually forgotten Dan already knew about the reader being poly. Hopefully, no other mistakes will crop up, but PLEASE let me know if you see something! 
> 
> Thanks for all the lovely comments and Kudos. I still feel like I don't know what I'm doing as a writer, and I appreciate the encouragement. I am currently juggling this fiction and two others, but I will try to post on this one everyday until it finishes. There will probably be a sequel coming out too, but I'm not sure (mostly because I don't know exactly where/when this will end). I swear this story keeps jumping away from where I thought it was going originally, but I am enjoying writing it. 
> 
> Suggestions for this and anything else you want to see me write are always welcome. Here, by email, Tumblr (QueengeekRose), or Twitter (Queengeekgirl). I am planning on putting some art and links to different stories, as well as some short fictions on Tumblr, but so far it's mainly just a placeholder page. :)


	25. Family time, Part one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, dinner went well. Now let's hope telling Jack's and Mark's families go as well...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is a little late. I had a few issues with my computer BSODing me. (Three f*ing times today. I had to reset the chapter every time and lost all my work. I am so frustrated!)

The morning after our dinner, I woke up really early. It was a Friday, so we had to get up for work, like usual, around seven thirty. I woke up at six. It was one of the rare times when I woke up, with no alarm, and was just completely awake, with no hope of falling back asleep. I scooted down, out from between Mark and Jack, and got out of bed to go to the bathroom. One of the boys groaned and they both rolled over slightly, cuddling close together. It was super sweet, and I was tempted to take a picture, but I needed the bathroom. I used the bathroom and decided to make a big breakfast for all of us. I walked into the kitchen and got out several bowls, pans, and my waffle iron. I felt like waffles this morning. I got out the ingredients for the waffles, some fresh fruit, bacon, and eggs. Cinnamon waffles with berries and fresh whipped cream sounded like the perfect breakfast for the three of us. I whipped up the batter, plugging in my waffle iron to preheat it, and washed some blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries. I sliced the strawberries, scrambled the eggs, and added a pinch of sea salt and a dash of fresh ground black pepper. I grabbed the plates from the cupboard and started making waffles. While I waited for the waffle batter to cook, I fried the bacon, setting it on a plate in the center of the island. It didn't take long, and I cooked the eggs next, draining most of the grease from the bacon, but using the same pan. I finished the last waffle just as the eggs finished. I arranged the plates, started the tea for myself and a big pot of coffee for Jack and Mark, before I headed down the hall to the bedroom again. When I got to the door, I opened it, hoping the smell would be enough to wake my boyfriends. Either way, I went in and grabbed my clothes for after a quick shower. After my shower, I put on my panties and bra, but the clothes I had grabbed got wet, so I walked out to my closet in just my undies. When I got back in the room Mark was awake, stretching and rubbing his eyes. Jack still had his eyes closed, but I suspected he was waking up, especially when his eyes suddenly popped open and his nose twitched. Mark was adorably rumpled looking this morning and still looked very sleepy. Jack, who now had his nose in the air, sniffing the aromas coming up the hall, looked wide awake for once. Normally, he was far from a morning person, needing to be lured out of bed with coffee. Jack sat up and the blanket that had been wrapped around his shoulders fell away, exposing his bare chest to the room. He looked very sexy sitting there, bedhead and all. I smiled at both men and walked into the closet. I heard Jack jump up and follow me, effectively trapping me. When I looked back at him, he walked in closer and pulled me in for a hug. "Did someone get up early and cook? Something smells like heaven. You smell really good too." He stood there, arms wrapped around me for several minutes before he shook himself and let me go, heading for the bathroom. I was smiling as I picked out a simple sundress for the day. I threw on matching shoes and walked out of the closet.

When I saw Mark hadn't moved, I called over to him. "Hey, sleepyhead. I cooked breakfast and there is lots of coffee. Jack and I might eat all the waffles if you don't hurry up..." I smiled as I turned around and walked back out to the kitchen. When I got there, Jack was fixing himself a cup of coffee. 

Jack looked up when I walked in. "Well, ye certainly are full of energy today. Did ye wake up just ta cook for us? Not that I mind tha cooking, but I don't want an overtired girlfriend." He walked over and kissed me. I could taste the toothpaste he had used this morning on his breath. I deepened the kiss slightly, tilting my head and opening my mouth a little. He set his coffee cup down and drew me in closer, embracing me as we continued to kiss. When we broke apart to breathe, Mark was standing in the doorway, a faint smile on his lips.

"Well, as lovely as it is to see the two of you having a good time, you are blocking my caffeine. How are you both so awake today?" Poor Mark. He was in quite the grumpy mood. I reached over and poured a cup of coffee for him and handed it over. Then I went around the island and made my tea, selecting a pomegranate herbal blend from my tea chest. 

Jack walked up behind me and rested his head on my shoulder. "That's a lot of tea choices and a very beautiful tea chest." I nodded, smiling. Jack grabbed a plate and started dipping eggs, bacon and waffles for himself. I grabbed the honey for my tea, some powdered sugar for the waffles for anyone who wanted it, the berries, and the whipped cream. Then I grabbed Mark's plate and started filling it with food while he was trying to wake up, drinking his coffee with his eyes closed. When I set the plate down in front of him, his eyes opened.

"Here, Mark. I don't know why I have so much energy this morning except maybe from relief at how well last night went. Yes, Jack the tea chest was a gift from my grandmother for my birthday one year. She had it specially made for me, knowing how much tea I drink. I fill it up about every two months with different flavors, but the first row are the ones I always keep the same. If either of you ever want any tea, feel free to look in there, or ask me. I have more tea flavors tucked away." I winked. "Gotta have my teas or I get cranky!" Jack laughed, knowing I was only half joking. I suspected he felt the same way about his coffee. I dipped my plate and went around the island again, sitting down beside Mark. We all ate with minimal conversation, since Mark was still struggling to wake up. After we finished, Jack did the dishes, I put the leftovers away, and Mark went to go get ready for work. Jack and I ended up brushing into each other more than was really necessary, several times stopping to just hold hands or touch the other on the arm or the shoulder. Since I finished first, I hugged Jack around the waist and rested my head on his arm as he worked. He hummed to himself and didn't seem to mind at all. We were both very relaxed and happy. I asked a question that I had been wondering for several months. "Jack, I know you miss Ireland. Do you regret moving? I know things have been busy and kind of crazy, but I have been wondering for a while now." I watched his face as I waited for an answer. 

Jack took several minutes to think, washing the waffle iron as he thought. "Well, [y/n], I miss my friends and family. And I miss the beautiful landscape. But no, I don't regret moving. I especially don't regret it because I would have never met you, or gotten so close to Mark if I hadn't. I also would have missed out on a load of experiences with my friends here. So, no, I absolutely don't regret it. Do you regret moving here?" 

I shook my head. "Nope. I miss my family back east, and my friends, but honestly I'm happier now than I've ever been." I smiled at him again. "So, while we are on the subject of family, are you still up for calling or Skyping with you family tonight? Or do you want to wait and do it another time?" 

Jack smiled at me. "Tonight is fine. We can try Skype first, but we may have to call my parents." I nodded and stole a quick kiss, before I headed out of the kitchen. I grabbed my phone and texted my mother, asking if she would be home tonight for a Skype call. Then I sent messages to the rest of my family, including my brothers, telling them I would either call, Skype, or message them all this weekend or tonight. Mom responded that she would be home by eight o'clock (her time), so anytime before eleven would be fine. I sighed. So between five and eight, I could Skype with her. Okay. I messaged back I would try to talk to her then, or failing that, call this weekend sometime. 

Mark came back down the hall, looking much more awake now that he had showered, eaten, and had his coffee. I walked over and kissed him slowly, cupping his jaw as I did so, just a sweet kiss for one of my two sexy men. He smiled at me when we broke apart. "Thanks babe. What was that for? Not that I'm complaining!"

I shrugged, smiling back. "No reason. You just look really good today. I'm in a good mood. Everything is really awesome today." I hugged him, snuggling in close. "Did you not like the kiss?" He shook his head and hugged me back. Jack walked in, grinning when he saw the two of us. He came over and joined the hug. When we eventually all let go, I told the guys what my plan was. "Okay. Mom will be available for Skype tonight between five and eight. I told her I would call then. The rest of my family we can call whenever, I haven't heard back from them about times. Jack, do you have times figured out to call your family? I know the time difference is even bigger than the one I'm dealing with."

Jack shook his head. "To be honest, I was kind of hoping to call them during lunch today from your office. Even if we called around four o'clock here, it's going ta be midnight there, and my parents don't stay up very late." I nodded. Jack went on. "If the call takes a while, which I think it might, we can call my siblings tomorrow morning."

Mark groaned. "I forgot today was our 'call the families' day. I need to check with my mom, brother, and step-mom to see if they are going to be around. Hold on." He pulled out his phone and started texting. "Okay. Mom says she'll be home, and it's about time I call her." He rolled his eyes. "My step-mom is fine with it too. Thomas hasn't replied yet, but he may be busy right now, so I'll keep an eye on the messages today. If I don't hear back from him, we can try calling anyway or wait until tomorrow." 

I grinned. "Well then, let's get to work! We still have jobs to do. Does anybody want any of the leftovers from last night for lunch today? That's what I'm taking for my lunch." Jack and Mark nodded. I grabbed a cooler bag and loaded up all the leftovers from the night before and added a bag of tortilla chips from the store. I grabbed my keys, wallet, laptop bag, and the food and headed out to my car. I loaded everything in the back and got in. Mark and Jack came over and got in as well. I looked at Mark, startled for a moment. "Um, aren't you going to drive yourself in?" 

He grinned and shook his head. "Nah. I'm just coming back here tonight, so why bother. I'll save the gas for another day." Jack had gotten in the front and Mark climbed in behind me. I drove in to work and we all went upstairs to the office, where I put the food in the fridge and we headed to the recording studios. Jack wanted to record with me, having recorded four VR games the previous day and three other videos without me. We started recording a new longer play-through and a few quicker videos, before I decided I was ready to call it quits for the day and go work on editing. It was only about ten-thirty however, so Jack opted to keep recording by himself for a while longer. I stopped to check on Mark as I finished up. He didn't need anything and had finished recording two videos, so I took those back to my office along with Jack's and started editing. By the time Mark and Jack came back for lunch, Mark's videos were done and all but the long video was done for Jack. We got out our food and I went over to the door, shutting it and putting up the out of office sign for the second day in a row. Jack had pulled out his laptop and was logged in, waiting for Skype to load. 

Once it loaded, he dialed the link for his parents. Mark and I were sitting on the other couch, out of sight of the camera until Jack signaled for us. He started chatting, asking about various people, animals, and family members. Before long however, he brought the subject around to relationships. "Ma, Pa, I have a confession ta make. Ye know it's been a while since I was in a relationship." Mark and I couldn't see but I strongly suspected his parents were nodding their heads. "Well, I am in one now. It's not tha most common type, but I'm really happy. I hope ye can be happy for me too." More silence from the other end. "Well, anyway, um... Wait it'll be easier to just show you. Mark and [y/n], meet my folks. Ma, Pa, these are my boyfriend and my girlfriend." Mark and I waved when Jack spun the camera our way. I got up and Moved over next to Jack, so he could see and be seen again. Mark moved over to Jack's other side. 

Jack's mother looked startled and his father looked a little confused. "Boyfriend and girlfriend? But who are you dating?" Jack's father asked.

I cleared my throat nervously, and Jack looked at me. He smiled and gestured for me to explain. "Um, actually sir, he's dating both of us. And I'm dating both of them. It's called polyamory." I blushed a little.

Jack's mother laughed. "We know what poly relationships are dear. We just didn't know Jack was interested in them, or quite frankly, men." Jack flushed, turning red. "I always wondered because of how he talked about Mark, but if he's happy, that's what matters. Now, tell us all about yerselves, please."

Mark jumped in first and gave them a brief version of his life and details about himself. I went next and did the same. We all got to know each other a little before Jack said, "Ma, Pa, it was great talking to ye, but I need to call some other people. Do ye know of anyone else will be about or if they're busy?" Jack's parents told us they didn't know, but offered to share the news with his siblings so we could get back to work if we wanted. "That would be great. I promise I'll call them, or they can call us this weekend, but we need to get back to filming. Talk to ye soon. I love ye both." They said goodbye to all of us and Jack disconnected the call. He heaved a sigh of relief. "That went really well. I don't know what I was expecting, but I was nervous none the less. We have a little while left before the filming for the afternoon starts. Do you want to try calling anyone else? I know we could try Felix, he's online right now."

Mark nodded his agreement. I said, "Call whoever you want, babe. I'm just here, ready to meet anyone you want me to, and give you moral support. The calls to my family will be easy since they already know I'm poly. Today is just about telling whoever you guys want." 

Jack hugged me and dialed Felix's number. "Hey, bro, what's up? Oh and hey, Mark. Hey, [y/n]. What's going on?" We all said hello and Jack explained the reason for the call. Felix was totally cool. "I knew you both liked her, so this isn't a total surprise. Although, I am surprised it took you so long to get together. I'm happy for you all though." Suddenly there was a loud noise on the other end of the call. Felix looked back over his shoulder. "Shit. I have to go. Talk to all of you soon. Bye!" With that he disconnected.

I looked at Jack. "I hope everything is okay. That was a pretty spectacular crashing sound. Maybe we should watch his Twitter feed for a little while." 

Jack laughed. "Won't be the first time I Twitter stalked him. I think I'll just send him a direct message though, so we can eat our food and get back to work." 

Mark, who had covered his eyes and was leaned back into the couch, groaned. Jack typed a message out, but I was looking over at Mark. I got up to get a drink and offered one to each of them. Mark declined, and Jack got a water. I walked over to Mark as I handed Jack his drink. I stood in front of him and looked down. He looked tired and somewhat pinched. I leaned forward and sat on the arm of the couch. "Mark are you okay? You look like something's wrong."

Mark groaned again and looked up at me, opening his eyes again and taking his hand away from his face. "I have a terrible headache. I am really tired. I just don't feel very good today to be perfectly honest." I leaned over and kissed his forehead.

"Mark, sweetheart, you have a fever. I think you are getting sick. Come here." I gestured and he leaned against me. I took his glasses off his face carefully and handed them to Jack to set down on the table. Then I took Mark's head in my hands and began to give him a head and scalp massage, hoping to relieve some of the pain. He closed his eyes and moaned low in his throat. "Do you like that?" He grunted, which I took as a yes, so I kept going. I asked Jack to go open the door and take the sign down. He did and then came back and started rubbing Mark's back. Mark moaned again, clearly appreciating the effort, and we kept going. Wade stuck his head in and grinned. When he saw us rubbing on Mark, his eyebrows shot up and he asked if he should leave. I shook my head, saying a quiet, "Come on in. Mark doesn't feel well. He has a fever and a bad headache, so Jack and I are trying to help." Wade looked sympathetic. I looked at Mark's lunch. "Mark, did you actually eat anything? It looks more like you just pushed the food around. I know you haven't been drinking enough either. Do you want some hot tea, or something else?"

Mark opened one eye. I noticed it was red. "Hot tea sounds really good. Can you add some honey too, please? My throat is kind of scratchy." I smiled and nodded. "And I did eat a little, but I am really not that hungry. Mostly, I just want to lay down and sleep." I stood up and made his tea, coming back over after just a minute. I put the food back in the fridge, covering Mark's up separately, in case he was contagious. Then I resumed rubbing his head. "You're really good at this, [y/n]. Thank you." He took a sip of tea. "Oh, this is really good too. What flavor is it?"

"I made you spearmint, and added the honey you wanted. The mint will help with your stomach too, I hope. Now, do you want me to stop and go talk to the recording crew? I think you're too sick to film today, babe."

Jack stood up. "Ye stay here and take care of him. I'll go talk ta tha crew." I nodded. Wade followed, telling Mark to feel better as he left. I shifted positions a little. The arm of the couch wasn't very comfortable. 

Suddenly I had an Idea. "Mark, baby, can you do me a favor? I'm going to put a couple of throw pillows down on the floor. Can you sit on them at my feet? That way you can lean back into me and I can access you head, neck, and shoulders better. Thank you." I gave him a kiss on the cheek as I put the pillows down. He sat on them and leaned his whole body back into my legs and tilted his head back on my knees. "Comfy?" He nodded, but didn't moved except to close his eyes again. I resumed rubbing his head, concentrating on his temples. Before long I heard a gently snore. I smiled and reached back to grab the throw blanket, draping it over him, before I went back to rubbing his head. Poor sick Markimoo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the kudos and WONDERFUL comments! I never actually thought people were going to read anything I wrote or enjoy it as much as people seem to be. 
> 
> Now on to other news. As some of you may know (I have mentioned it in the chapter notes before), I have a few other fictions on this site. I have been trying to update this one everyday, which I will continue to do, to the best of my ability. I am planning to start trying to post two chapters a day of things though, meaning one of this story and one of something else. My tentative plan is Tues, Thurs, Sat, to post on my Mark X Reader (How We Met); Weds, Sun, post on a new fiction (as yet untitled Jack X Reader, or something else); Fri post on my original fiction (totally my own world, all original characters, fantasy); and Mondays leave free for now. I will be having a few Mondays coming up that I may not be able to post anything at all (6/27 & 7/4 for starters) due to medical appointments, travel, and other plans, but I will try to get something out if at all possible. After that, Mondays will probably be an extra chapter of this story, or maybe a series of one short/shorter fictions. I'll try to let everyone know as things go. This schedule will be starting on Tuesday, 6/28/16, unless I can manage to get a few extra things in this weekend. 
> 
> Don't forget, I take requests! If something you want hasn't shown up here, it may end up in another story. I currently have plans for a Jack X Reader, a Dan X Reader, and a few ideas that are only half formed at this point.


	26. Family time, Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taking care of sick Mark, and calling his family.

Mark's fever climbed as the afternoon wore on. I stopped rubbing his head, but I didn't get up from the couch. I had left my laptop on the table, so I reached over and grabbed it. I plugged my headphones in and finished editing for the day. I even made an animation for my channel and posted it. I kept an eye on Mark as well. Around four, he started moaning and whimpering. I reached down, setting the laptop aside, and started rubbing his head and shoulders again. He sighed, still asleep, but the small pained sounds didn't completely go away. Before long, Jack came in, telling me they were on a filming break and that he was done for the day. Apparently, the crew had parts they needed to film of just Matt and Ryan, so Bob, Wade, and Jack were done. I asked if anyone had been upset about Mark missing, but that's when the crew decided to do the individual filming shots. If Mark was still sick on Monday it might be more of an issue, but we would figure it out then. I gently reached down and shook Mark. He opened one eye, bleary and unfocused as it was, and tried to smile. "Mark, we're ready to go home now. Can you get up? Come on, please?" He looked pained at the very idea, finally, with Jack and I helping, we got him off the floor. I waved goodbye to Wade and Bob as we went past them.

I helped Mark out to the car, having him lean heavily on me the whole way down. When we got to the car, he complained his stomach hurt and he was dizzy. I asked if he was going to throw up, and he said "Probably not." Jack and I looked at each other, unsure. Jack finally offered to drive and I helped Mark into the back. I climbed in with him and had Mark lay down on my lap. I rubbed his head and stomach for the entire drive home, trying to make him feel better. It took Wade's help to get Mark out of the car, even with Jack and I. Mark promptly threw up as soon as he stood up. Wade helped us get him in the apartment. I thanked Wade and gave him some cookies in repayment. He grinned, told Mark to feel better, and waved goodbye to Jack and I. Mark had been laid down on the couch, which Jack had covered with a spare blanket, and I came out to see what Mark needed. "I feel so awful, [y/n]." Mark was a mess. I grabbed a bucket, in case he was sick again, a washcloth, and a clean shirt. I helped him out of the shirt he was in and helped him wash his face and chest. The cool cloth seemed to help him feel a little better, so I rinsed it off and set it on his forehead after I helped him into the new shirt. I asked Jack to bring out a stack of pillows and a few more blankets, asking for the extra fluffy ones I used whenever I felt sick or was having my period. I helped Mark lay back down, sitting down with him so his head was in my lap. when Jack brought the pillows, I grabbed one to put under Mark's head, but Mark waved it off. "I like snuggling into you better." I smiled and Jack unfolded a big fluffy blue blanket covering Mark up. Jack sat down on the floor in front of Mark and leaned back, just comforting with his presence. I adjusted the cloth on Mark's forehead, moving it down to cover his eyes when he started to fall asleep, and gently rubbed his temples. When he fell into a deep sleep, I leaned down and kissed his forehead gently. Jack, who had been watching us and answering social media, smiled.

"Ye're such a sweetheart, [y/n]. I love ye." I looked over at him.

"I love you too Jack. I'm sorry we couldn't do more of the family introductions today. I know how much of a relief it is to get it accomplished, even if things don't go well. Listen, if you want to go home and just let me take care of Mark tonight, I won't blame you. If I need you, you would be right next door, and I could call. I can't stand the thought of both of you being sick."

Jack scoffed. "What kind of boyfriend would I be if I abandoned the two of ye when things got a bit shaky? I'm not going anywhere." He paused for a minute. "Okay, I might go home ta eat so Mark doesn't get sick from tha smell of food, and I might grab a few things, but I'll come right back."

"Seriously, if you want to stay away until Mark is healthy, I can take care of him. I'm going to wait a few hours and see if he thinks he can handle some soup, if not I'm going to make him drink as much mint or ginger tea as he can stand. I going to baby him and help as much as he will let me. And I'm going to try to take care of you when you're sick too, but it's a lot harder if both of you are sick at the same time." Jack got up from where he was sitting and came over and gave me a kiss. I kissed him back. Jack then leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on Mark's forehead.

"Thanks for taking care of us. But he's my boyfriend too. Now, what can I do ta help?" 

Later that evening, after I had made a huge pot of chicken soup, with Jack's help (he chopped all the veggies and the chicken up for me), and I had made biscuits to go with the soup, we were finally able to get Mark to eat something. I had taken his temperature and it looked like his fever had broken. He was a little warm, 100 degrees instead of 98 and a fraction, but his fever was coming back down. He said his stomach didn't hurt anymore either, so I gave him a small bowl of soup and a biscuit, promising he could have more later if that stayed down. Mark was sitting up on the couch now, curled up in the blanket, leaning on Jack's shoulder. Jack was back on his phone, reading and replying to social media, like he spent much of his time doing. I was sitting on the other end of the couch, curled up with a book. I noticed I was starting to get some minor cramps, so I made a mental note to stock up on chocolate and feminine hygiene supplies in the next day or two. I grabbed my violet extra fuzzy blanket and wrapped myself up in it. Mark noticed and commented. "Oh, no. Did I get you sick too?"

I shook my head. "Nope."

Mark raised his eyebrows. "But that's your 'I'm sick and don't want to face the world' blanket."

I looked over at him. "And..."

Jack looked up. Realization dawned on his face. "I'll go get the chocolate." I grinned as Jack left the room.

Mark looked confused for half a second and then blushed. "Oh. I see."

"Sorry babe, didn't mean to gross you out. I know you don't feel good. I can still take care of you, I just have some cramps. I'll try not to be too grumpy."

Mark shook his head. "That's not what I meant. Besides, you always want to cuddle more when this happens, and Jack and I like that. Now get over here and help me get warm. For some reason, I can't get warm enough tonight."

I scooted over and cuddled against Mark, still cocooned in the blanket. He sighed and rested his head on me. I went back to reading. A few minutes later, Jack came back with a small candy bar, which he handed to me. I grinned and tucked it into the blanket for later. Jack sat back down next to Mark, and Mark once again shifted to lean on Jack's shoulder. I stayed where I was, leaned on Mark's other side. Before long, Mark and I were both asleep. Jack fell asleep later, still replying to fans. 

When we woke up the next morning, Mark was felling back to his usual self. We made plans to call Mark's family that day, and call mine as well. I got up from the couch and took a long, hot shower, hoping to get rid of some of my cramps. No such luck. I grabbed a few painkillers and took them with my morning tea. Unfortunately, my period was also sucking away all my energy, so I felt like a zombie. I just stayed curled up all day, not really doing anything.

After lunch, I couldn't stand it anymore. I told Mark we were going to start calling people, then I was going to go curl up in bed until I felt better. Mark nodded slowly, clearly afraid I was either going to cry or punch something. Heh. Maybe I was. I occasionally got vicious PMS, and had been told I could be scary. I apologized for being overly aggressive and asked Mark if we should call his family first. He looked nervous, but agreed. We all sat down on the couch, letting Mark take the center seat and sitting so we were out of frame, on either side, so Mark could see us and know we were there for him, but so his family wouldn't see us until he was ready. Mark dialed his Mom on Skype first. She picked up right away. "Hi, Mom. Sorry for not calling last night. I ended up being sick and spent the entire evening dealing with that, with some help. Anyway, how are you doing Mom?" 

Mark's mom looked at him, concern plain on her face. "Mark, are you feeling better? Did you see a doctor? Don't worry about missing the call last night, I need to know you are okay, but if you are sick you should be in bed." 

Mark gave her a look. "Mom, I'm fine. I just didn't feel well. Some friends took care of me, my fever is gone and I feel fine. I only threw up once, and it was more because I was dizzy and stood up and from pain than because I had stomach problems. My temperature is 100 percent normal today and I feel just fine. My friends made me stay with them so they could take care of me though, which is why I calling from somewhere other than home."

"I wondered. You said friends. Are you going to introduce me to them? How close are the friends? I'm glad someone is taking care of you, since I clearly can't. Now tell me who is taking care of my baby boy, so I can thank them properly."

"Mom!" Jack and I were making eye contact behind Mark's back and trying not to laugh out loud. Mark struggled to regain his composure. "Mom, really, I'm okay. Actually, part of the reason I was calling was because I wanted to introduce these people to you. You have heard me talk about Jack for years, and seen the pictures of the two of us at conventions and I think he may have even talked to you a few times when he was staying at my house before when he was visiting from Ireland. He's staying in the US now, working on the TV show with me and my other friends." 

Jack leaned over and waved. "Hi, Mrs. Fischbach! Good to see ye! I helped take care of Mark yesterday. He's such a big old baby when he's sick." Mark stuck his tongue ou at Jack. "Oh, yeah Mark. Impress yer mom with yer maturity."

Mark's mother laughed. "Good to see you too Jack. I'm glad you're taking care of my son. I hope you didn't have too hard a time."

Mark made a grumpy face. "I wasn't that bad. Besides, he hardly had to do anything. My other friend did way more." He blushed suddenly. "Um, Mom, I want you to meet my friend, [y/n]. She's really, really nice. She's special too." I rolled my eyes at him and leaned in so I was on screen.

I smiled into the camera. "Hello, Mrs. Fischbach, very nice to meet you. Your son is a great guy. I felt bad for him yesterday, but Jack helped me get him home and I made him soup, took care of him, and rubbed his head until he felt better. It seems to have passed now." 

"Oh my goodness. Mark didn't tell me had such an attractive friend." I blushed to the tips of my ears and looked down. "Well, thank you for taking such good care of him. I hope I can meet you in person sometime. You seem very sweet."

"Mom, you're embarrassing her. And me, for that matter. Cut it out! Now, I wanted to call and talk to you about something else." 

Mark's mother looked at me again. "She's your girlfriend. I can tell. Good for you Mark. Now what did you want to talk about." My blush got even brighter. Man! Mark's mom was sharp.

Mark blushed too. "Um, well, that was part of it. Thanks for guessing. I don't think you will figure anything else out though, so I'll just tell you." He took a deep breath to go on, when suddenly there was a commotion on the other end.

Mark's mom stood up. "Hold on a minute dear. Lucy! Get out of that. Lucy! Lucy! Oh, hi Thomas! What a nice surprise! I was just talking to your brother and his friends. Come on in an say hi."

Mark's older brother was suddenly on screen. "Hey Mark! What's up? Hi. Jack, right? And hello to you, random woman I haven't met who I gather is a friend of Mark's." I grinned and we all waved a little.

Mark's mom piped in from behind Thomas. "Oh, that's [y/n]. Mark's new girlfriend. She seems really sweet."

I could feel the blush creeping up my forehead again. Mark groaned and put his head in his hand as Thomas looked at me with a lot more interest. "Girlfriend, huh? All I can say to you Mark, is FINALLY and it looks like you have good taste. OW! Hey, Mom what was that for?"

Mark's mom had swatted her other son on the shoulder. "Don't pick on your brother or his friends. Now sit down over here next to me and we call all talk to Mark like civilized human beings. Now what else did you want to talk about besides your new girlfriend, Mark?"

I leaned in and gave Mark a hug, for comfort and to try to remind him he wasn't in this alone. I let the hug go, but stayed leaned in as Mark started talking. "Well, Mom, Thomas, it's a little harder to explain. I, uh, am really close friends with Jack here too." He paused for a minute, looking to see if he was getting his meaning across. There was just confusion on the faces on the other end. "I mean, um, Jack and I are, uh..." He trailed off trying to figure out how to explain this.

I cleared my throat. "Mark and Jack and I are all in a relationship together. They are both my boyfriends and each others as well. We didn't want to hide it from anyone, and wanted to tell our families before anyone else found out." Mark gave me a grateful look.

Mark's mother blinked a few times before speaking. "A girlfriend and a boyfriend?" Mark swallowed and nodded slowly. "Does this mean I might get some grandchildren soon?" Mark put his head in his hands again. I smiled and Jack laughed, clearly surprised, but amused.

Thomas looked a little more stunned than his mom. "Well, I always thought Mark like Jack a little more than he admitted. I never actually thought that... ...So, uh, how does this work? I mean with three people?"

I spoke up again. Jack was rubbing little circles in Mark's back as Mark was trying not to freak out. "Well, basically it's a lot like a relationship with two people. You have to make sure everyone is communicating and is comfortable. You talk and decide where the boundaries are and what everyone is comfortable with. You decide if everyone in the relationship is actually together or if one person is seeing two people and the others are just dating the one. We talk a lot, about everything. We take care of each other. We love each other. That's basically it."

Mark's mom gave me a sharp look. "You love my son?" I looked at her and nodded. "Good. I like you. Mark, I want to fly out and meet your boyfriend and girlfriend in person. Or you can all fly out to meet us. Yes, that would be better. So how soon can you all come meet us?"

Mark looked at the screen. "MOM! I can't just drop everything a leave right now. I just can't. I promise we will visit between Thanksgiving and Christmas for at least two weeks though, okay? Is that soon enough? It is the middle of September after all." Mark's mom nodded. "Now we have to go. We have some other calls to make. I love you both. Bye!"

"Goodbye Mark. Bye Jack. Goodbye, [y/n]. It was lovely to meet you and we will see you in a few months." Mark's mom disconnected after she said this. Thomas waved goodbye just before the call ended.

I looked at Mark. "That wasn't so bad, was it? Your mom and brother seemed great. They just wanted some more information. Now who else do we need to call?" 

Mark looked over at me with a smile. "You're amazing. You handled that like a pro. God, I was a mess. Okay, give me a minute and then we can call my step-mom. After that, it's just your family, [y/n]. Unless Jack has more people to call." He turned to Jack, a question in his eyes.

Jack grinned. "I've been fielding texts from my brothers all morning. My sisters both just said 'congrats bro'. But maybe if we call my brothers, we can answer their questions." Mark and I nodded. 

"So," I started "Mark's step-mom, Jack's brothers, and my family. Easy. Especially since my family will just want to meet you. Remember, this isn't new ground for them." I smiled at the relief on both men's faces. "Jack, why don't we call one of your brothers first, to give Mark a chance to settle back down. Then we can call his step-mom. Unless, you want to call both your brothers first?"

Jack grinned. "No, a breather between would be better. Let's call Malcolm first. It's even more of a time zone difference than my parents." I nodded and gestured for Jack and Mark to switch seats. Jack logged out of Skype, so he could log in using his username. I didn't know much about Jack's oldest brother, other than what he had told us. He is a writer, a long distance runner, a drummer, has two kids, is married, and lives just outside Paris. And he is a reformed alcoholic. _**{A/N -- These are all true facts about Jack's oldest brother! Malcolm McLoughlin really is Jack's brother. And I did research and gathered as much true information as I could to add realism to this story. EDIT: 7/5/16 -- I found Jack's siblings names. I am updating the story to include the correct names. I am not changing anything else! Sorry for any confusion.}**_ Jack clicked the link for his brother and the familiar dialing sounds of Skype chimed. A few seconds later, a face a lot like Jack's, but older with more of a beard, appeared on the screen. Mark and I were not out of the frame, but Jack was center screen. "Mally! How are ye doing man? It's been ages." Jack's brother smiled. 

"Jack! Great to see you. I was talking ta Ma this morning and as ya can guess I have a few questions for ya." Jack nodded. I leaned over and gave him and encouraging kiss on the cheek and waved to Jack's brother.

"Hi. I'm [y/n], Jack's girlfriend. It's really nice to meet you."

"Why hello! I didn't see ya there. I'm Malcolm. Jack's oldest brother. Don't worry, I'm not judging ya, I just have questions." I smiled at him and stayed leaning on Jack's shoulder. "Ya are really quite a lovely girl, aren't ya? And I can see just from looking at the two of ya how much ya care for each other. That makes this easier and answers some of my questions. Now Jack, can ya please explain this to me? And who else is in this relationship? Ma just said you called and had both a girlfriend and a boyfriend, but that ya seemed happy."

Jack sighed. "Okay. My boyfriend is Mark, who is also here." Mark leaned in and waved a little nervously before scooting in a little closer, but sitting back in the seat. I looked over at him and mouthed a 'are you okay? I love you' while Jack continued. "Mark has been one of my best friends for a long time now. When I expressed my feelings for [y/n], Mark did as well, and she told us she cared deeply about both of us. She explained about polyamory relationships, having been in one before, and Mark and I agreed to be in this one with her. As it turns out, we also decided to be together with each other. We have discussed it a lot, well, it works for us. [Y/n] is better at answering questions about some of this, so if you want ta ask and it's okay, she can answer and give ye more information. " 

Malcolm nodded thoughtfully. "Actually, that answers almost everything. I just wanted to make sure you had thought all of this through and everybody knew what was involved. I have friends who are polyamorous, so I know these kinds of things can work, but everyone has to be on the same page and communicate. Just knowing one of ya has some previous experience with this type of situation eases my mind a lot. Thanks, little brother." 

Jack grinned. "I forgot how awesome you are Mally. Thanks for not giving me a hard time. I shoulda known ye were just looking out for me. Love ye, big brother. I have ta go. We have more calls ta make. We'll call again soon. Now give tha kids a big hug from Uncle Jack! Bye bro."

Malcolm laughed. "Will do. Bye. Nice ta meet ya Mark, [y/n]. " With that he disconnected. Jack flopped back on the couch, leaning more heavily into me. I hugged him again.

"Well, that's one more down. Mark you ready?" I looked at Mark. He had gone pale and was sweating. "Mark? Mark, babe, breathe. It's okay. We're here for you." Mark was trying hard to calm down, but I could see he was on the edge of a panic attack. I looked at Jack. "Maybe we should call your other brother to give Mark a few more minutes." Jack nodded and we called his other brother, Simon. The conversation was almost exactly the same as with Malcolm. When we hung up, Mark had calmed down a little, but he was still shaking and sweating. I got up and got us all cold drinks. Then I sat down in between both men, giving them hugs and kisses. "You guys are awesome. I know this is hard, and you are facing it so well. Thank you. My family will be much easier to handle, so please don't worry about it, okay?" Mark nodded, and cuddled into me. Jack smiled and leaned on my other side, stretching an arm around both Mark and I. I spoke up once again. "Why don't we make the rest of the calls tomorrow? We can watch a movie or play some video games now instead." I was looking at Mark when I said this, hoping he would be able to get calmed down more if we took a break.

Jack grinned. "Like we would ever say no to video games! And I'm going to order pizza for dinner. We earned it." I grinned at Jack's enthusiasm.

Mark looked over at the two of us and smiled a little. "Thanks guys. I just... I don't know. It suddenly hit me and I'm struggling. Pizza sounds great, Jack, but can we watch a movie before we play video games. Something silly, funny, or sweet? Like maybe a Disney movie, or cartoons?"

I grinned. "I have tons of choices. Let's see what sounds like fun." I opened my DVD binders (where I kept most of my movies, since I was forever losing cases or having them break, not to mention all the space they took up, and I have a massive number of DVD movies), focusing on the binders with Disney and cartoons. I handed one to each of the men to look through. 

"Geez, [y/n], just how many movies do ye have? Each one of these must hold like 200 movies!" Jack's eyes were huge as he said this.

I grinned and nodded. "Yep, just a little over. I have about 2500 DVD's I think. Now what looks good."

Mark held up two DVD's. "I vote for either Tangled or The Lion King." I rolled my eyes and grabbed Tangled, popping it in the DVD player, before heading into the kitchen and making some popcorn. When I came back with the big bowl, the main menu was up. I settled in between my boyfriends and we all cuddled up, losing ourselves in the movie and occasionally singing along. It was just what we needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay -- sorry to anyone who read this before. I was too frustrated to keep working, but I was really unhappy with how the chapter ended. I went back and made the chapter longer, and I am happier with it now. Sorry for any confusion!


	27. Family Time -- Part Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finish making our calls to our families. Everything goes better than we had feared. We make some plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE NOTE, I made MAJOR changes to the last chapter since posting it last night. Please go back an reread it before you read the new chapter. I was very unhappy with where I had left the chapter, but I couldn't handle anymore computer issues and was exhausted. The chapter is now almost twice as long as it was and I am much happier with it. :)

After an afternoon and evening of video games and Disney movies, we all went to bed early. I actually headed to bed much earlier than the guys because my cramps got bad, so I went lay down with a heating pad. I fell asleep before ten and when I woke up in the morning, Jack and Mark were cuddling around me. They were nice and warm and I didn't want to move, but I knew I needed to get up and go to the bathroom and take a shower. I forced myself out of bed and dragged my butt in to take care of the things I needed to do. I always hated my period. It made me feel awful, zapped all my energy, made me very cranky, and sometimes weepy. Fortunately, a hot shower and a few painkillers and I was alright this morning. I was still tired, but I felt mostly human, so I headed in the kitchen and made myself a bowl of cereal and a cup of tea. As I was finishing, Mark wandered out. He looked over at me and raised his eyebrows. "Cereal? You didn't cook this morning?"

I scowled and shook my head. "No. Didn't feel like it. You can if you want though." I grabbed my cup of tea and went in and curled up on the couch under my violet fluffy blanket. I grabbed my ebook reader and started surfing the web, tucking the blanket so I was completely cocooned and invisible to the outside world. I heard someone come in and felt the couch shift as they sat down. I didn't move, but made a grumpy sound, which made Jack laugh. 

Mark came in the room as well. "I don't think she wants to talk yet Jack." He sounded amused, the big turd. I stuck one hand out from under the blanket and gave them the finger, making both men laugh. "I'm making toast and eggs. Does anyone want any?" Jack volunteered to help after saying yes, and they both left the room. I stayed tucked in my blanket and just tried to relax and get a grip on my hormones. Stupid hormones. Grrr. I sipped my tea and went looking for something on the internet to cheer me up. Eventually, I found a site that had pictures of puppies and kittens playing and it helped me get over my mood. When I was less likely to snap at Mark and Jack, I emerged from my cocoon, still staying wrapped up, but poking my head, shoulders, and arms out. When Mark saw me do this he grinned. "Feeling better?"

"Maybe. I'm less likely to bite your face off now anyway. Sorry if I was a grouch." 

Jack looked over at me. "Don't worry about it. Ye can't exactly help it. We were just concerned about ye feeling better. When we went back ta bed, ye looked really uncomfortable and the heat pad had fallen on the floor, so we unplugged it and just snuggled ye ta warm ye up. Did it work?"

I nodded. "Thank you. I took a hot shower this morning which also helped, but I just hate the world sometimes when I have my period. Please don't take it personally, but please don't be too dismissive either. That will make me angry at you. I had an ex-boyfriend who did that and I wanted to punch him." 

Jack looked at me. "Hey, relax. I wouldn't dismiss yer feelings. Ye feel however ye feel. Doesn't mean I don't want ta make ye feel better though. I like it when ye are happy and smiling. Now, my favorite grumpy gal, come here and sit with me." He gestured for me to scoot over so we were pressed against each other. I wriggled around until we were both more comfortable, and leaned against him. "That's better. Now do ye feel like doing anything today, or just being lazy? I vote for a lazy Sunday."

Mark made a noise. "Um, I hate to mention this, but I really need to call my step-mom."

I looked over at him. "Yeah, if you guys are up for it, we should finish making our calls today and just get them over with. Give me a little while longer to get my attitude better adjusted and then we can start. Thanks for being patient."

Mark grinned. "You are way better at handling these calls then we are, so it is smart for us to make sure you're ready. I mean I nearly had a panic attack and my family was totally supportive. You were able to field the questions and relieve everyone's concerns better than either of us. Now what can we do to help make you feel better?"

"Well, honestly, I could use a back rub. My back is all achy which is partly why I'm being bitchy. When my pain is higher, my attitude is worse. Other than that, maybe just talk to me to distract me." Jack moved slightly behind me and suddenly I felt his hands on my back, massaging the lower part, exactly where it hurt the most. I felt my shoulders slump and I couldn't stop the moan that came out of my mouth.

Jack must have smiled hugely, because there was a grin in his voice when he asked me "Do ye like that? Is that where it hurts?" All I could do was nod and close my eyes. His hands felt magical. I unconsciously stretched my legs out, shifting slightly so my hips were more comfortable. Suddenly, I felt Mark sit down on my other side and grab my feet, lifting them into his lap. Before I had fully realized what he was doing, he started giving me a foot massage that made me melt. The experience of both my loves massaging my back and feet was pure and utter bliss. All thoughts were driven from my head as I just drifted into a happy place and a huge smile broke out on my face. After half an hour, I felt limp as a noodle and all the stress in my body was gone. I couldn't even hold myself up, I was so relaxed. Jack stopped massaging my back for a minute to get a drink and when he moved away I literally just slumped across him. He grinned down at me. "I take it ye feel better now?"

I opened my eyes, using all my reserved energy. "Oh my god. Yeah, much better. That was amazing." Jack leaned down and gave me a sweet kiss. I returned it and just laid there, in his lap, when he straightened up. Mark was still rubbing my feet, a look of total concentration on his face. "Markimoo, if you want to stop, you can. I feel a lot better. Although, if you want to keep going, I'm not going to complain..."

Mark looked up, seeming almost startled. "What? Oh, sorry, I was lost in thought. I'm glad you feel better, [y/n]. I'll let you have your feet back now." He helped me swing my legs and feet around so I could get up if I wanted. I sat up and gave him a long kiss. He grinned and returned it. "There's the sweet woman I love! Now are you ready to make those calls?"

I nodded. "I'm ready if you are."

Mark had us rearrange on the couch so we were sitting like we were yesterday when he called his mom, with Jack and I on either side, just out of view of the camera. When we got settled, he dialed his step-mom. She answered on the fourth ring. "Why, Mark, what a nice surprise! I didn't expect to hear from you today. How are you?"

Mark chatted with his step-mother for several minutes, eventually steering the conversation around to where he wanted. "I have someone I want you to meet. Well, actually two someones. First, [y/n], my girlfriend. [Y/n] come say hi."

I leaned in so the camera would pick me up. "Hello, Mark's step-mother! Sorry, I don't know what to call you. I'm not trying to be rude." I blushed a little.

Mark's step-mom laughed. "Oh she's sweet Mark. [Y/n], just call me Dee. It's nice to meet you. Have you and Mark been dating long?"

"Not really. It's very nice to meet you too by the way."

Mark cleared his throat. "Yeah, so that's my girlfriend. I still want you to meet someone else though. He's... Well, he's... "

I looked at Mark. He was sweating again. I leaned into him for support and said simply "Jack, come say hi. Jack is our other boyfriend."

Dee raised her eyebrows. "Other boyfriend? What does that mean?"

I smiled. "Mark and I are dating each other. Jack and I are dating each other. Jack and Mark are dating each other. We are in an exclusive relationship with each other."

Dee's jaw dropped. "I didn't even know Mark liked men that way."

Mark blushed and ducked his head. "Just Jack. Only ever Jack." Jack blushed as well as he moved in so the camera could see him. 

"Hello. I'm Jack. Pleased ta meet ye." 

Dee looked at him. "Well, Mark, you certainly pick attractive people to date. Both of you are just gorgeous. Jack, please call me Dee. It's very nice to meet you as well. I love your accent by the way. Is it Irish?"

Jack grinned. "Yes, ma'am. I'm actually here ta work on a TV show with Mark. [Y/n] is also working on it and helping us edit and post videos on YouTube." 

"Oh, you're THAT Jack. Now it makes a lot more sense. Well, like I said, it's nice to meet you both. I hope I can meet you in person at some point before too long. When are you coming home next, Mark? And are you going to bring these two along so I can meet them properly, in person?"

I smiled and Mark groaned. "Mark told his mom yesterday he would be home for some time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. My family lives on the East Coast as well, so I will probably be able to visit then too." I turned to Mark, making sure to keep my face so the camera wouldn't pick up the wink I gave him. "Isn't that right babe?" 

Mark smiled at me. "Yeah. Thanks for reminding me. Now we have to go. We have a few other calls to make. Love ya! Bye!" Mark ended the call after we all said goodbye and Dee did as well.

I turned to Mark. "All your calls are done now. Feel better?" He suddenly reached over and hugged me in tight. I patted him on the back and looked over at Jack. Jack just grinned. "Do either of you have any other calls to make? Or is it just down to me?"

Jack looked over, thoughtfully. "Should we tell any of our other YouTube friends? I mean, Felix was a no-brainer, because I talk ta him all tha time, usually like once or twice a week. But anyone else?" Mark and Jack just looked thoughtful for several minutes. I let them think. Finally, Jack looked up. "Tha only one I can really think of would be Ken, maybe. What do ye think Mark?" 

Mark made a face. "Well, I don't know. I'm all for just keeping quiet right now, but if you want to..." 

Jack shook his head. "It can wait. Let's call [y/n]'s family and say we're done." Mark smiled at this. I grabbed the laptop and logged out of Mark's Skype and into mine. I started by calling my mother. We talked for a few minutes before I introduced Jack and Mark. She smiled at them both and greeted them. I promised she could meet them in person sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas or New Year. She nodded and I told her I was calling some of the rest of the family, so I wished her goodbye and moved on to the next call. One of my brothers was next. He answered right away, asking me how I liked California and whether or not I had been swept off my feet by a hot Hollywood hunk or not. I laughed and told him I was actually calling to introduce my boyfriends to him. He laughed too and said hi. We all talked for a few minutes and then he had to go, telling me his wife was on her way home and he needed to do some cleaning. We all wished him goodbye and good luck and disconnected the call. I stood up and stretched.

"Okay guys. Time for a break. Does anyone want a drink? I'm getting some iced tea." Mark and Jack shook their heads and reached out for the cups of coffee they had in front of them. "Alright, I'll be back in a jiffy. I left the room, making a bee line for the bathroom. After that, I grabbed my favorite water bottle, added some fresh mint leaves and filled it with iced tea. I grabbed a piece of string cheese from the fridge as well, eating it as I walked back in to the living room. I resumed my previous seat, shook my neck out, and got ready to make another call. I looked at Jack and Mark. "Ready to meet my other brother?" They nodded and I asked them to make sure they were out of frame. This was my youngest brother and he was a fan of both of their channels. He knew I knew them, having seen the videos I had been doing with Jack for the last several months. I took a deep breath, smiled to myself, and dialed the number. My brother picked up almost immediately. We talked for a while, until I noticed Jack starting to get fidgety.Then I launched into the reason for the call. I told my brother I was dating again and I wanted to introduce him to my boyfriends. 

My brother looked at me, sighed, and said "Again? They better at least be cool guys this time."

I laughed. "I'm pretty sure you'll like them. I think they're really cool. Guys come say hi to my little brother." Jack and Mark leaned in and gave me a kiss on either cheek. My brother made a noise I can't describe adequately. It was a combination squeal, gasp, groan, and noise of disgust. His face was priceless as well. His eyes were bigger than I thought was humanly possible and his jaw literally dropped. I giggled and said "Well, are they cool enough for you?"

My brother was just opening and closing his mouth. He couldn't form any words. Jack looked at me. "Ye knew this was going ta happen, didn't ye?"

"Maaaaybe." I gave him an over innocent look. 

Jack just shook his head. "Well, it seems like ye might know who we are. We just wanted ta say hello. It's nice ta meet ye."

Mark waved, grinning as well. "Hello." 

My brother looked like he was about to pass out. Suddenly he emitted a high-pitched sound and fell over. After a few minutes he got up and gasped out, "I... can't... even... What? Um... There are no words... Holy..." and suddenly he disconnected. I started laughing until I cried. Mark and Jack both looked a little confused. 

When I was calm enough to speak properly, I told them what a big fan my brother was and how he was probably going to spend the rest of the day being a huge fanboy. I also reassured them that he wouldn't tell people and that they might get some DM's on Twitter, but nothing more. I showed them what he had posted when someone had put up pictures from the convention and another post from when I actually started recording on camera with Jack. His comments were more along the lines of 'that's my sister, don't be a jerk' than anything else. I knew he would be supportive once he had calmed down. I sent a message to the rest of my family through Facebook that I would be home sometime between Thanksgiving and New Year's and I would be bring some people, so I would see them all then. Once I was done, I looked up at Jack and Mark. "Okay, that's my family. I think we're done. Oh, I want to tell Lia and Greg. They know some of the situation, just not that it's you guys. Is it okay to tell them? I know they would never tell anyone." 

Jack nodded. "Fine with me. I liked them. Will yer brother be okay, by tha way?" 

I chuckled. "Yeah, he'll calm down soon. He just got over excited."

Mark grinned. "And you didn't give him any warning. So sweet. And I'm fine with you telling your friends too."

I smiled over at Mark. "He is my brother. And besides he can be a pain. He's always telling me how uncool I am. I thought this might actually change his mind."

Jack laughed. "Yeah, it might. Although, it might just make us uncool in his eyes instead."

I rolled my eyes. "However will you survive?" I stood up again, suddenly full of energy. "I'm going to go cook something. Any requests?"

Jack stood up and stretched. "Anything ye make is amazing, but I want ta help. I can cut things up for ye again. It's fun and I like feeling like I'm helping, even if it isn't that useful."

I leaned over and hugged him. "It is useful. And besides, you might actually learn to cook this way. Mark, do you want to help too, or do you want to do something else? And any thought on food?"

Mark grinned. "No thoughts at all. I will come help though, or at least watch. Maybe I can make some dessert. I can mix up a mean pudding."

I smiled and shook my head. "Pudding it is then. Mixes are in the cupboard, unless you want to try to make one by hand from a recipe? No, okay. Well, I think I'm going to make some sushi for lunch." Jack and Mark just stared at me. "What? Didn't you know I can make sushi? Or that I bought the ingredients the other day? Eel, smoked salmon, and crab. True, none of it's raw, but raw fish doesn't keep well. I also have avocados, cucumbers, seaweed salad, teriyaki sauce, and spicy Japanese mayonnaise. I'll put the rice on and you guys can tell me what kinds you want to try. I might even show you how to properly roll sushi." I stepped into the kitchen and got started.

After we ate, we headed back into the living room and snuggled on the couch. My momentary energy burst was long gone and I was struggling just to keep my eyes open. I grabbed my ebook reader and started checking social media while I snuggled into Mark's side. Jack was laying against my other side, and I was once again tucked under my overly fluffy blanket. Before long I had fallen fast asleep. I didn't wake up until the next morning, even when someone carried me back to bed. I vaguely remember a kiss being placed on my forehead, but I wasn't awake enough to be able to say who put it there, or even if it really happened, or if I dreamed it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, as ever, I want to thank everyone for reading this, and a special thanks to anyone who has left Kudos or a comment. I read them all and appreciate all the support. I really had no idea people would like my writing this much. I do try really hard to write something I would like to read, as well as something that is decently written. The encouragement helps me keep going and I love seeing the guesses and suggestions for plot. Don't worry, this fiction still has a ways to go before it wraps up, and right now at least, there is likely to be a sequel (or two).


	28. Party Planning*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your channel is gaining momentum, friends are visiting and things are happening. Now what?
> 
> Also, it's almost your birthday so some sexy times and plenty of fluff. ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, mostly this reader is you, BUT some of the reader's life details are from my own life, like my birthday. Deal with it, or ignore the difference, substituting your own, I don't care. ;p

A week had past since we told our families about the relationship. It was nearly the end of September, and I was thrilled. Normally, I tried to be cool, but it was my birthday in just a few days, and I couldn't wait to see what Jack and Mark had planned. I was fairly sure they knew, having hinted and left my driver's license out nearly everyday for the past month. Plus, they regularly went to doctors appointments with me and Mark was even picking up prescriptions for me sometimes. Since they needed my date of birth for that, I was almost positive they knew. The fact that Ken was doing a guest appearance on the TV show, for his birthday, which is the day before mine, is super cool. Mark, Jack, and I had decided to tell Ken about our relationship when we met up this evening, since Ken and Mary were going to stay in Jack's apartment. I had once again invited everyone over to my apartment for dinner. I was making margarita chicken or teriyaki salmon, a rice pilaf, salad, and grilled marinated vegetables. I had set up a grill over the summer on the small patio I had. All I had to do is fire up the grill, turn on the rice, and toss the salad. Jack and Mark were arguing over who would be the grill master for the day. I was inclined to let Mark deal with it, but I was staying out of it for now. If Mark grilled the food, I would have Jack help me inside, making dessert and tossing the salad. If Jack was grilling the food, Mark would be helping me. It would mostly be couples at the gathering tonight. Dan was bringing someone I didn't know, Arin and Suzy were coming, Ken and Mary were of course going to be here, Mandy and Bob, and Molly and Wade. It was quite a group. The fact that Wade and Molly were currently picking Ken and Mary up from the airport wasn't lost on me. I finally looked over at Mark and Jack. "Guys. Decide. NOW." Both men looked startled and a little guilty, knowing that they had been arguing while I was working. "Who's grilling the food?" 

Jack looked over at Mark and grumbled. "I guess he is. He said he knows how ta use that grill. I looked at it, and I don't know all the fancy features."

I smiled at them both. "Okay, that's fine. Mark here's the veggies and the chicken. The fish should go on later. Jack you can come help me in the kitchen, making the rest of the meal and dessert." Jack's eyes lit up. I handed Mark the bowl with the veggies and the giant zip top bag of chicken. The fish was on a platter, wrapped in foil, already sauced and waiting to go on the grill. I walked back in the kitchen for a few seconds and reemerged with several platters which I handed out the door to Mark. "One is for the chicken and one is for the veggies. Do you have the grilling tools you need?" He nodded. I smiled and gave him a quick kiss before coming back inside and closing the sliding door behind me. I headed back into the kitchen. "So, Jack, what do you want to help me make for dessert? Cupcakes? Pie? Ice Cream? Fruit Tarts?" I paused for a minute. "Do you know what Ken's favorite dessert is?"

Jack looked thoughtful. "Not really. Maybe we should text him?" 

"Good idea. Do you have his number?" Jack nodded. "Go ahead and do that please. I'll grab the salad stuff."

After Jack texted Ken and Ken replied with "Food is good. All food." I laughed. Okay, good to know he's not picky. I opted to make cupcakes. Jack and I mixed and baked three flavors, cinnamon spice, chocolate cherry, and banana coconut. While they baked, Jack and I washed the salad greens, cut up some tomato and cucumbers, sliced avocado, shredded some carrots, and sliced celery for the salad. Jack tossed the salad to mix it, and I added some herbs, croutons, and grated cheese. We put the salad back in the fridge to say cold, put the cupcakes on racks to cool, and checked with Mark about how the grilling was going. Mark was struggling with the second rack of the grill, where the veggies were. Jack teased Mark for several minutes until I dragged him back to the kitchen to make frosting for the cupcakes and start the rice. After we finished, I realized the cupcakes were still to warm to frost. I leaned against the counter and turned to Jack.

"Well, Jackaboy, we have some time to kill now. Everything is ready, except the cupcakes which are still to hot to deal with. Any suggestions for what to do until people get here?"

Jack stepped closer. Suddenly, he swept me into a tight hug. I smiled into his face, loving the look in his bright blue eyes and the sassy smile he had on his face. I leaned in and we kissed. Without warning, the kiss deepened and Jack's tongue darted into my mouth. His hands started roaming up and down my sides and back. I moaned, opening my mouth a little wider. Our tongues tangled together as Jack pressed me closer. I could feel his dick through his jeans, pressing into me. He started slowly grinding and I felt his hands lip under my shirt, finding my bra and unhooking it one handed. I moaned again, a little louder. Jack broke the kiss and winked at me. "I might have a few ideas." I looked at him through a haze of lust and my muddled brain barely processed the words. I grabbed the back of his jeans and tried to pull him closer, grabbing his butt and squeezing lightly. He grinned. "Someone's anxious. Maybe we should move this ta another room or put a pin in this until tonight. Which would ye prefer, lass?"

I was burning up. I couldn't even think straight anymore. "Bedroom. Now. Please. Oh god, Jack. Please..." He grabbed me and lifted me off my feet, heading back toward the bedroom. We shut the door behind us and he tossed me into the bed. I moaned and began taking my shirt off. "Jack, I want you." I was practically panting and I managed to shimmy out of my shorts, tossing them and my shirt aside. My bra, unhooked, was next to go, and I was just pulling my panties off as he grabbed my hands. I looked up and he smiled wolfishly. 

"Slow down a second there, darlin'. I want to admire the beauty before me." The look in his eyes made me shudder and involuntarily shift my hips, trying to get closer. He let my hands go and stripped, coming back over to me in record time. I grabbed him and pulled him down onto the bed, where we began making out and grinding on each other hard. After another moment, he reached for the bedside table. I thought he was grabbing a condom, but he came back with a silk tie, which he wrapped around my wrists and tied to the headboard. I moaned again, even louder than before. "That's enough of that!" Jack grabbed my chin and began kissing me again, filling my mouth with his tongue, silencing my vocalizations. When we broke to breath, he reached into the drawer again and came out with a ball gag. My eyes widened as suddenly, my mouth was stopped up completely. I writhed and wriggled on the bed under Jack. He looked me over, grinning. "That's better. Now let's see what fun we can have." He moved down, kissing me starting at my shoulders and trailing down my body. I bucked, trying to get him to go faster. He nipped and licked his way down first one breast, then moved over to the other. I was nearly mindless with need. If the gag hadn't been there, I would have been begging. I whimpered as he left my breasts, trailing kisses, licks, and small gentle bites down my stomach to my hips. He started rubbing his hands up and down my inner thighs as he continued to trail kisses down the outsides of my legs. At my knees, he paused and moved to the insides of my legs, concentrating as he licked his way up toward my center. I was bucking and whimpering so hard, when he stopped, he had to put a hand on me so he could look at my face. "So pretty. Ye're so, so pretty. Now, do ye want me to kiss ye again?" I nodded. I shifted, coming up to release me from the gag. He paused for a moment and I struggled under him. "So impatient. Do ye promise to be quiet now? Can't be alerting tha neighbors now, can we?" I nodded, getting desperate. He released the gag and took it out of my mouth.

I panted for a minute, before whispering, "Jack." It was all I could manage. He understood, because suddenly he was lining himself up with my entrance, teasing me with his cock. I could feel him throbbing slightly. I pulled away just enough that he followed. He continued to tease me for several seconds until I shifted suddenly under him, swinging my hips forward and using the slight distance I had gained to force him into me. His eyes blew wide and he quickly found a rhythm, pounding me into the mattress. I was so close and it looked like Jack wasn't far behind. Suddenly the bedroom door opened and Mark was standing there. His eyes grew wide. Jack and I both suddenly picked up speed, losing our minds, and cumming. Jack slumped on top of me spent. I just laid there, unable to do anything but breath for the moment. Mark walked over and looked at us. 

"You couldn't have waited for me?"

Jack looked up at him. "Nope. We didn't exactly plan this. Ugh, have people started ta get here already?"

Mark shook his head. "Wade just called. They are stopping to pick up a few things Ken and Mary forgot. They will be a little while still. Now, as much as I love seeing the two of you naked, one of you better get up and go watch for guests. Jack, I think it better be you." He tossed Jack his clothes. Jack slid out of me, and I noticed for the first time he hadn't wore a condom. I mentally bit my lip. Crap. Well, I would deal with it later. I was too exhausted to to deal with anything now, and my arms were starting to hurt. Mark walked closer as Jack left. I watched as he walked to just between my legs, looking me up and down, his pants suddenly looking more than a little tight. "Oh, someone was naughty, wasn't she?" I swallowed and nodded, my earlier exhaustion beginning to wear off as lust once again took hold. Mark leaned down and licked between my legs, lapping gently where Jack had been only moments ago. He suddenly reappeared. "Mmm. It tastes like you and Jack." I was interested to see he was unbuttoning his pants and lowering them. He didn't take them off, just lowered them to his knees and freed his erection with one hand, placing the other on my knee. He slid up and down my very wet opening several times before suddenly diving in. I cried out briefly as he set a punishing pace. I was once again thrown into orgasm territory when he leaned down and nipped at my left breast, massaging the right one with his hand, all while never losing pace. I tightened and tried to keep up, but it was a losing battle. I came again and my orgasm knocked Mark into his own. He groaned loudly and came into me, slumping onto my body, just as Jack had. I panted, truly out of breath. Mark recovered first and kissed me. It was a soft gentle kiss, with none of the frustration and hard edges of his frantic pounding a few minutes before. I kissed back and struggled with my binding slightly, trying to get free to touch his face, cup his jaw, or even just to brush the hair out of his face. He stopped and saw my ties. He smiled, stood up and fixed his pants, and walked up to the head of the bed. He looked down at me. "Uncomfortable?" I nodded. My shoulders were really starting to hurt. "Well, we can't have that." He untied the binding from the headboard, but didn't free my hands.

I looked at him, pleading with my eyes. "Mark, please untie me."

He smirked and shook his head. "Not just yet. You and Jack were very naughty. I need to make sure you don't pull anything like this again."

I looked down. What was he planning now? Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the front door. Guests had started to arrive. "Mark, baby, can't this wait until tonight? I mean, we do have guests here now."

Mark nodded. "I guess it will have to. Now do you need any help cleaning up?" He looked down at my naked body. Suddenly his eyes got wide again. "CRAP. I didn't even remember to grab a condom." He smacked himself on the forehead. "Stupid, stupid. Okay, well, we can deal with that later." I nodded, swallowing again. Both of them? Really? What the hell? This was just about the worst timing possible for that too, but I bit back any comment. I doubted I would get pregnant from one day of missed condoms. At least, I hoped. I held my wrists up as Mark walked away. He turned back and saw my wrists and wryly unbound me. I sat up and gathered my clothes. I smelled like sex, so I went into the bathroom and took a three minute shower, drying and dressing, before going out to greet our friends. I was trying not to walk funny as I went, but my hips were sore. Both men had been rougher than normal and I was definitely feeling it.

When I got out to the kitchen, I saw Jack was in the living room talking to Suzy, Arin, and Dan. I took a minute to gather myself and stepped out to join them. "Hey guys, great to see you. Sorry I couldn't come to the door when you got here, I was in the shower. Did Jack offer you anything to drink?" 

Jack looked at me and winked. "Yes, dear, I did. They wanted ta wait."

Arin laughed. Dan looked over at me. "Are you okay? You seem to be walking a little stiffly."

I managed to keep from blushing, but it was a close thing. "Yeah, I tried a new Yoga pose and I think I over did it a little. I should have stretched more first." I smiled and walked into the kitchen. I needed to frost the cupcakes and make sure my face didn't give the bald-faced lie I just told away. Jack came in behind me a minute later.

"Oh my god. Are ye okay? I wasn't exactly gentle, and I'm sorry." He whispered in my ear, coming around behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist. I leaned into him for a minute, just enjoying his presence.

I whispered back, "Yes. You and Mark were both rather rough today." Jack raised his eyebrows, and I nodded. He kissed my shoulder. "That and someone forgot something in his rush. Or should I say two someones. We are going to have to have a talk very soon." I kissed his cheek and watched his eyes go from puzzled to stunned and the color in his already pale face drain away. He knew what I was talking about now.

"Both of us?" I nodded, clearly not happy. "Ye mean Mark... Right after I..." I nodded again. He wasn't usually slow, so I'm not sure what the problem was here. He groaned. 

I kissed his cheek again and lifted his head up so I could look him in the eyes. "Listen babe, we'll deal with it if and when we have to. For now, you know and we have guests. I have to frost these cupcakes, now scoot before they think you're doing all the things to me we just finished doing." He laughed a little and grabbed a beer from the fridge, heading back into the living room. I heard Dan and Arin giving him a hard time.

Suzy walked in a minute later, smiling as she watched me frost cupcake after cupcake. "Hey, [y/n], can I help?"

"Sure, grab a knife and a bowl of frosting. Chocolate goes on the chocolate cherry cupcakes. Green goes on these banana coconut ones, and I'm just finishing these last few red ones. They are cinnamon spice." Suzy grabbed the chocolate and started frosting. I grabbed the cherries I had pitted earlier that day and had her put one on each finished cupcake. I started working on the banana cupcakes, adding the green frosting and a chunk of pineapple to each. 

We worked in silence for a few minutes until she said, "So, Yoga, huh?" I tried not to blush, but I could feel it was a losing battle. She laughed. "Well, good for you. which one of your boy toys did you wear out." My blush got brighter and I had to set the frosting down. 'Oh my, both of them? Really? Impressive. Was it a one at a time or both at once kinda deal? I gotta know. This is too good."

I leaned on the counter. Finally, when my blush was gone I straightened up. She was still looking at me. "Okay, okay. One after the other! Jeez." She laughed again.

"Well the visits here never disappoint. That's for sure. Really good food and interesting conversations to say the least."

I grinned. "Thanks. I think." We finished frosting the cupcakes and set them on the table. I was talking to Suzy about plans for Ken's birthday when Jack walked in. "Hey, Jack, where do you think we should take Ken for his birthday? Suzy and I were just talking about it."

Jack looked momentarily surprised. "Ye don't want ta cook? But ye love ta cook!"

I rolled my eyes. "Jack! They are going to be eating my cooking almost every night they are here. I think once or twice would be a nice break." Besides, I was hoping he would remember my birthday was the day after. "Now think about it and get back to me. I'll ask Mark too." I walked out to the patio to talk to Mark. He looked up anxiously when I closed the door.

"Hey, are you okay? You are walking a little funny. Did we hurt you?"

I rolled my eyes a little, but I was also touched that he noticed. "I'll be fine. My hips are just kinda sore from being, um, overused. Oh, and Suzy figured it out, but I doubt she'll tell anyone, at least not right away. But if it comes up, I had told Suzy, Arin, and Dan it was from a new Yoga pose. Suzy just didn't believe me, so she confronted me in the kitchen away from the guys. Now two things. First, how's the food coming? Are we going to be eating on time?"

Mark grinned at my subject change. "Yes ma'am. Should be done in about half an hour. Should I put on the salmon now?"

I nodded. "Yes. Now, second thing. Where should we take Ken for his birthday? I swear if you say I should cook, like Jack suggested I will kick your butt."

"Uh... Uh... I hadn't really thought about it."

"Well, think about it now and get back to me. We need to plan, and if very many people are coming, we need to make reservations." I walked back inside and rolled my eyes at Suzy. She laughed. Dan and Arin looked up, momentarily confused. I shook my head and went into the kitchen to grab a drink. "Anyone else want a drink while I'm in here?" Suzy and Arin declined, but Dan asked for a beer. I grabbed one and opened it for him, grabbing my own bottle of iced tea and joining the living room group. I sat down and got comfy, just as the doorbell rang. I groaned, feeling defeated, but Jack jumped up to get it. Dan, Arin, and Suzy laughed. I raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were my friends, but here you all are laughing at my pain. Hmph. I have half a mind not to invite you to my birthday." I slapped a hand over my mouth. Dammit. Now they were going to ask when it was. I decided I would just keep my mouth shut and not tell them no matter what. I didn't want them thinking I was trying to get presents because I wasn't.

Dan looked at me. "Your birthday, huh? When is that exactly?" I shook my head, refusing to answer. He grinned at me. "I guess I'll just have to ask someone else. Who might know? Oh, wait. What about a boyfriend? If only you had such a weakness. Or two. Mwhaha!" Dan jumped up and ran out to the patio, closing the door behind him and holding it closed. I dropped my head into my hands. Jack walked in with Mandy and Bob, carrying a tray of what looked like appetizers and a basket of bread. I started to get up, but Jack waved me back down.

"Jus' sit still. I can put these out. I know where everything is. What are we talking about?"

Arin spoke up. "Birthdays." I gave him a glare. Suzy covered her mouth, trying to hide a smile. "Specifically, someone here's birthday. She is refusing to tell. Dan suggested we ask someone else who might know, like a boyfriend. Know where we could find one of them, Jack?" I made an annoyed noise and crossed my arms, sliding down into the couch. Arin looked at me and grinned. "Looks like I'm not the 'Grump' here today after all." Everyone laughed except me. I stuck my tongue out. I was acting childish, I knew, but I didn't really care. I wasn't even that upset.

Jack poked his head out of the kitchen to see what was going on. He grinned when he saw my posture. He came over and gave me a kiss on the forehead, making everyone in the room except us go 'Awwww". I loved the goofy guy, even if he was ruining my fake mood. I sat up and stopped scowling. "That's better. Now, what was tha question? I missed it when I was in tha kitchen." I looked at him. Really? He missed it? He looked innocent, but I wasn't sure. I eyed him closely as Arin repeated his statement. Jack blushed. "Um, I guess I should know that. Let me think." I kept staring at him, a slightly annoyed look on my face. Was he trying to get out of telling, or did he not know? I wasn't sure and one answer definitely did not bode well for him. I got up and winced, walking out of the room. I went only as far as the bathroom, leaving the room open so I could hear the conversation and still get some painkillers. Jack was trying to avoid the question and change the subject. My heart sank. I started to think he really didn't know.

I walked back in the room as though nothing were wrong, other than my hips hurting. Damn, they were really starting to ache worse now. Suzy gave me a very sympathetic look. I saw down more carefully, adding pillows around but hips and under my butt, trying to ease the ache. I hoped the pain medicine would work quickly. I would have to make Jack and Mark be more careful in the future. Bob gave me a questioning look. "Hey, are you okay, [y/n]?"

I looked over at him. "Yeah, Just hurt myself earlier in a Yoga related move. Not enough stretching before hand. Now I'm paying the price." I glanced at Suzy, who was fortunately keeping a perfectly bland expression, and Jack who was looking anywhere but at me. "I think I'm done moving for the day, except for the bathroom. Jack, you are officially the door-tender for the night. Guys, the food is all ready except what's still being cooked by Mark. He and Jack can set everything out and get you anything you need. Sorry, if it seems like I'm being a bad host, but it really hurts to move right now." Jack looked like he was about to say something, but I caught his eye. I would reveal the truth and he would be way more embarrassed than I would, and I think he must have seen it on my face. He excused himself and went into the kitchen to set some things out. 

Just then Dan came back in. "Well, did you get anything out of Jack? Mark either didn't know, which is what I suspect, or wouldn't say." Arin shook his head. My heart sank but I put on a triumphant face. "Oh, stop gloating and tell us already! You know all of our birthdays." Dan pouted at me. "I thought I was your friend." 

I laughed. 'You are Dan, but I don't have to tell you everything!" Suzy winked at me. I tried not to laugh again. 

Suddenly Jack popped his head out of the kitchen. "She still hasn't said? Hmm. Give me a minute." I looked around, but he was gone. Where did he go? Suddenly I turned paler than normal, all the color draining from my face. My hip had just cracked when I turned and the pain nearly made me pass out. Dan, Suzy, and Mandy all saw it and rushed over to me. I couldn't speak, trying to ride out the pain. What the hell happened? Suzy looked very worried. Jack came back in and saw my expression. He rushed over, dropping my wallet as he came. "Darlin', are ye all right? Ye don't look too good right now. Tell me what's going on."

I kept my mouth clamped closed, afraid if I tried to speak I'd throw up. I shifted my weight again and a loud crack resounded throughout the room. The pain lessened a lot. I could stand it again. I sighed. "Sorry to be dramatic. When I moved a minute ago there was so much pain I thought I was going to throw up and pass out. It's better now, mostly. I'll be okay. You guys can go sit back down." Jack leaned down and looked me in the eyes. "Really Jack. I'm okay. If it happens again I'll let you know and get it checked, but I think I just had something slightly out of joint." I looked him right in the eye. "I wonder what could have caused that." He looked away.

"All right. If yer sure. I'm gonna keep a really close eye on ye for tha rest of tha night though." I patted his hand, which was resting on my knee. He stood back up. "Now, I got her wallet, so we can check her birthday! And she can't run away. So ha!" Oh my god. He really didn't know. Shit. He and Mark were dead men. I gave him a look, promising evil things in the future, but he ignored me, irritating me more. He opened the wallet and looked at my driver's license, turning very pale. "I'm dead. She's going ta kill me. Mark too. This is going ta be a goodbye dinner. Oh shit. Please don't kill us, [y/n]." I continued glaring. Suzy came over and took a peek.

"Oh yeah. You guys are totally dead. Run now, while she's hurt. It's your only chance. Actually, go warn Mark. You two can run together." Suzy grabbed the wallet away and shooed Jack out onto the patio. "Amazing picture by the way, [y/n]. I haven't seen a good driver's license photo very many times before, but this one is actually really good. So your birthday is just a few days away? Looks like Ken's isn't the only birthday party to plan." Suzy was showing the ID to everyone in the room. I blushed furiously. Dammit Jack. I was going to have to get creative in figuring out some revenge. Though, to be fair, part of this was my fault as well. There was another knock on the door. Suzy got up to get it, claiming "Hey, I pushed the doorman out, so it's my job now."

I leaned back into the couch, trying to merge with the cushions so everyone would stop looking at me. Finally Bob spoke up. "You should do a vlog about this. It's actually very entertaining. Oh, and be sure to include whatever devious torture you come up with to punish the others. We want details. And by we, I mean, we your viewers." I looked over at him. He blushed a little. "Yeah, I subscribe to your channel. So does Mandy. You're really funny and your game stuff is really different but good. You include the audience and still comment, but you don't tend to rage or flinch at jump scares. You're calmer than Mark, bubbly like Jack and can be loud and shouty, but then again you started by working with Jack, so compared to him, you aren't all that loud. You include a lot of really good tips too. And I like your stuff on animation and artwork. You should do one of those a week, as an extra video." I blushed. That was pretty high praise, considering my channel was still in its infancy. 

"I'll think about it. Right now, the three videos a week, all Jack's editing and more than half of Mark's are about all I can manage if I want to have any spare time to work on improving my animation skills. That's why I rotate the vlogs and art stuff. I want to keep two game play videos a week."

Arin looked at me. "Holy hell, girl! How do you have time to breath with that pace, let alone cook for us all the time? Damn, you have more energy than that loud Irishman on your patio! Jesus." I grinned.

Jack had stepped in and heard the tail end of the conversation. "Yeah, she's tha only one I know who can regularly make me feel unproductive. Ye should see her at work. She'll record three or four videos with me in tha morning and be done editing them by two in tha afternoon, then record one for herself, edit it, edit Mark's videos, and work on animations until the rest of us are done filming tha day's episode. Unless she doesn't feel well. Then she's only three times as productive as anyone else. Oh, and that's just before she gets home. Afterward she cooks, does a ton of social media, plays games with Mark and I, and does laundry and cleaning. Then she gets up earlier than anyone else and does some more."

Ken, Mary, Wade, Molly, and Suzy had just come in to hear that lovely speech. Wade looked over at me and grinned. "Nice to know someone who makes Jack look like a slacker." Everyone chuckled. I waved, but didn't get up.

Ken spoke up next. "Careful, Jack. She might think you wanted to be her boyfriend." The entire room burst out laughing except for him and Mary. I blushed. 

I looked over at Jack and nodded. "Well, Ken, we are dating." Ken's mouth dropped open for a second. Then he grinned.

"Oh, proud boyfriend. That explains it. Well congrats! About time someone got him in line." I stood up and walked gingerly into the kitchen to get a refill on my drink and pulled Ken and Mary in with me. I had met Mary only briefly before, but she seemed quite friendly and I liked Ken. I offered them drinks and gave them the requested beverages, grabbing another iced tea for myself. 

I took a deep breath. "Hello, Mary. Nice to see you again for more than a few minutes. I heard a lot about you from Ken when he was at the convention and when I was recording collabs with him for Jack. I'm [y/n]. Now, listen both of you. I have something to tell you, so please what to ask questions until after I finish, okay? Thanks." I took a sip of my tea to moisten my dry mouth before I continued. "Jack is my boyfriend, yes. But so is Mark. And Mark and Jack are dating each other. We are in a polyamorous relationship. I'm telling you because you will be staying at Jack's while you are here in LA, and his apartment is next door, even though he really mostly lives here. He barely goes over there anymore, except when he needs something he hasn't managed to drag over here yet, so you won't be in anyone's way or imposing. You will probably see Jack, Mark, and I together almost everyday, most of the time. Part of it is because we work together, but most of it is because we are in a relationship. Any questions?"

Mary looked at me. "I have one. What happened to your hips?"

I kept a straight face. "Yoga accident. I should have stretched more before trying that move. Anything else?"

Ken looked a little embarrassed. "Um. How does that relationship stuff work? I mean, um, you know, with three people?"

I grinned at him. I wasn't sure, but I suspected he was asking about sex. "Well, we just have to communicate very clearly and set boundaries everyone is comfortable with. Pretty much the same way it works with two people, really. Is that what you meant? Or were you asking about in the bedroom?" Ken blushed extremely red. Mary smacked his arm. I laughed. "Okay. Well, same rules apply there. We talk and decide who wants what and what lines don't get crossed, the same way any couple would." Ken nodded, still blushing. I looked at the two of them. "Well, we better go back out there. I need to sit down on those pillows again. And feel free to ask any questions you might have later too. Everyone here was told." 

When we walked back in Jack raised his eyebrows at me. I nodded and sat down again, wriggling to get comfortable. Jack came over and sat next to me, leaning in to whisper in my ear, "How did it go?"

I whispered back "Fine." Jack leaned in and kissed the side of my head. I looked around the room and asked, "So what are we talking about now?"

Suzy grinned. "Birthday plans. Since someone didn't tell us her birthday was coming up, we will just have to include her in the planning. Now what do you want to do for your birthday? Any thoughts?

Ken looked confused. "I'm not a girl." Mary patted his knee and shushed him. I was blushing again.

"All I know is I don't want to cook, and I doubt I'm going to want to do something extremely physical for the evening out either, with the way my hips feel right now." Jack leaned in and whispered another apology. I just rested my hand on his leg. 

Dan spoke up. "Why don't we plan on Karaoke and sushi at the grump space then. We can decorate it during the afternoon and everyone can come over later. In fact, I can pick you, Jack, and Mark up from work and give all of you a ride home. It's not like you will be going in opposite directions or live far away. Unless you banish the two doofs first." He grinned as he said this, clearly hoping to draw out my plan. I pretended to consider it for a long moment before shaking my head. "Okay, I'll pick up the three of you from your office then."

Molly spoke up. "Mandy, Mary, and I can ride in together if Wade and Bob can take Ken." Wade nodded. The plan was set and they decided the party would start at six thirty. 

Ken finally spoke up. "When is her birthday?" 

Suzy grinned. "The Twenty second. The day after yours." { ** _A/N -- Yup. That is my real birthday. And CinnamonToast Ken's is really September 21. I tell the truth!_** }

After the details of my party were decided, we started talking about Ken's. We debated back and forth before everyone settled on Dave and Buster's after dinner at an Italian restaurant they all liked. I had never eaten there, so I stayed out of that part of the discussion. We ate dinner, everyone enjoying the food and company, as we talked. After the food was cleared and plates put in the kitchen, I suggested we play a game of either Cards Against Humanity or FunEmployed. We ended up playing both far into the night. Eventually, Ken and Mary had to leave, claiming jet lag. Jack showed them over to his apartment and gave them the spare keys, showing them where everything was, and telling them to make themselves at home before heading back over to my place. Pretty soon everyone else started leaving as well, and it was down to just Jack, Mark, and I. I yawned and looked at the boys, my energy gone. Anything else would have to wait until after I had gotten some sleep. I stood up, painfully and started very stiffly up the hall, until I heard Jack come up behind me, calling my name. "Wait a minute, lass. Let me help ye." He grabbed me and lifted me up, carrying me bridal style back to the bed room. He set me very gently down on the bed and helped me get undressed before pulling a nightgown out and handing it to me. He winced when he saw the bruises and hand shaped red marks on my hips, helping me pull the nightgown down over my head. I thanked him and laid back too tired to do anything else. I was sure I was going to pass out any second. Jack started to say something, but my brain was too tired and I couldn't understand it. I fell asleep before he could even finish his statement.


	29. Ken's Birthday Part 1 -- Morning*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morning rolls in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So after so many chapters with no smut, we have two in a row. Shower sex in the morning. And they remember the condoms today! XD 
> 
> Sorry this chapter is so short. I'm not feeling well and the next one is going to be long.

I woke up with sore hips the next morning, but otherwise I was fine. I did have some interesting bruises, but Mark and Jack were the only other people likely to see them, and since they put them there, I didn't worry too much. I wondered if Jack or Mark had any bruises from me. We hadn't been too careful with each other yesterday. I opened my eyes and groaned. I couldn't roll over because I was sandwiched between Mark and Jack, as usual. I couldn't wriggle out of bed like I normally could because of my sore hips. I was trapped. I nudged Jack, hoping he would move. He just let out a cute little snore. I tried Mark. when I nudged him, his response was to grab tighter around Jack and I. Now I couldn't even breath. Perfect. I pried one of his arms off my, allowing me to at least breath again and thought. How was I going to get out of bed now? Finally, I just opted to push and shove Mark and Jack off me, separating their arms and allowing me to climb over one of them. I decided Mark would be easier to climb over and he was closer to the door, so I started shifting myself to climb over him. About halfway over, with my legs on either side of his chest, he woke up and looked up at me. "Morning. Can I ask what you are doing? Or am I just so irresistible you had to climb me like a mountain because you couldn't contain yourself this morning?"

I grimaced as he grabbed a bruised hip. "No, Markimoo. As much as I love you, I'm trying to escape the trap you and Jack had me in. I swear it was like trying to unlock a Chinese finger puzzle just to get out of bed. My hips hurt too much to try my usual shimmy down the bed and out the bottom."

Mark helped me off him, scooping me up in his arms and setting me down on the floor next to the bed as he too got up. "How bad are your hips today?"

"Nothing some painkillers and time won't fix. I just have some bruises and they are a bit sore." Mark looked like he didn't believe me. Jack was awake and watching us now too, looking sleepy. "Morning, Jack. Sorry we woke you." 

Jack grinned. "It's alright. I need a shower anyway. Anyone want ta join me?" He stood up, the blankets falling away, revealing his lean figure, clad only in his boxers. Heat flooded through me at the look he was sending our way. I swallowed and nodded, stepping towards him carefully. Mark frowned slightly.

"What about your hips, babe?" I loved that Mark was concerned, but I was a big girl and could make my own decisions. 

"Mark, I'll be fine. Come on Jack." I grabbed Jack's hand and started to pull him along, rolling my eyes at Mark. Then I stopped. I turned to Jack. "Go grab a condom first." 

He blushed at the reminder of yesterday's slip, as did Mark. He grabbed a condom from the bedside table where we kept them and followed me into the bathroom. We both got undressed and turned the water on. The best feature of my bathroom is the shower, with it's large, removable, FLEXIBLE shower head. We changed the settings and temperature to something we both liked and stepped in. Jack saw my bruises and almost immediately bent down, kissing them gently. He trailed kisses up my hips to my waist and back down to my thighs, covering every inch with soft kisses. His beard tickled slightly, but was adding to the sensations arousing me and I was quickly becoming over heated. I pulled him up, into a hug. He grinned wolfishly and kissed me, hard and sensually, biting my lower lip and sliding his tongue into my mouth. I moaned into him and he deepened the kiss slightly. It was intoxicating. I leaned against the wall for support, the cool tiles adding another layer of sensation to my overly hot skin. Jack broke the kiss and moaned. I looked into his eyes and saw the pupils so dilated the blue had nearly disappeared. I felt like our skin was going to start smoking at any moment. Jack leaned down and reached out of the shower, grabbing the condom. He tore it open and rolled it on in one smooth motion. Suddenly, he leaned into me. I could feel his hardness pressing against me, seeking my opening. I shifted just a fraction of an inch and he was in. He kept me pressed against the wall, holding me up, so my hips were totally supported, as he drove into me. It was amazing and we both were so into it, we didn't hear Mark come in. He was naked, except for a condom, when he opened the shower and stepped in. We were soapy, slippery, and steamy, just the way shower sex should be. Mark slid over to Jack and growled in his ear "You were torturing me, standing there in just your boxers you know. And now to see you, in the throws of passion, driving in and out of [y/n], it's making me insane." He reached down and began fingering Jack's ass. It make Jack change his rhythm just slightly, his thrusts leaned a little further back, seeking the new source of pleasure Mark was providing. Mark leaned down and sucked on one of my breasts while he played with Jack's ass. The sensations were too much, I was mindless, just thrusting and trying to breath, feelings rolling over me like a tidal wave. Suddenly, Mark moved his hand away from Jack's ass and lined his throbbing member up with Jack's hole. Jack whined deep in his throat and thrust his hips back, seeking Mark. Mark met him halfway and Jack's eyes flew all the way open. He let out a noise of pure pleasure and suddenly started pumping into me with more force, slamming back and forth on Mark at the same time. The increased tempo threw me over the edge, and it sounded like Jack was right there with me. Mark lasted a minute or two longer before he too was spent. We gently eased apart. The rest of the shower was strictly for cleaning each other up. Mark noticed my bruises as I got out of the shower. He looked at them closely. Then he shook his head. "We're going to have to be more careful, Jack. We don't want to break her or make her change her mind about seeing us." 

I smiled. "I'm good. Besides, I noticed I left a few bruises and scratches of my own on the two of you. Now, we have jobs to get to this morning, so I suggest we all go get dressed and drive in to work. We can stop at the cafe for breakfast." 

Jack clapped his hands together and Mark nodded. I got dressed in a loose, flowing dress, simple matching flats, and brushed my hair up into a loose ponytail. I didn't feel like fussing with makeup, so I left it for now. If I felt the need, I had some in my purse. I headed out to the living room to wait for Mark and Jack. Jack was done first, joining me on the couch, where I sat checking Twitter comments. When he sat down, I leaned over and rested my head on his shoulder. He smiled down at me and put his head on top of mine. We sat like that in comfortable silence until Mark finally walked in. Jack and I stood up and we all headed out to the car. Mark offered to drive, and I let him, sitting in the passenger seat and tilting the seat just slightly back. When we stopped at the cafe, I got a mini quiche, a large tea, and a bag of apple slices. I took my food back out to the car to wait, eating my apple slices until the guys got here.

Jack and I recorded a few videos together and then I got down to editing. The day flew by. Before I knew it, it was time to leave for Ken's birthday celebration. 


	30. Ken's Birthday Part 2 --Party Time!*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner out is fun. And Dave and Buster's is perfectly safe, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, folks. More sexy fun times after the party. Not a lot of detail, but it is there.

As Jack and Mark entered my office at the end of the day, I looked up. They looked very relaxed, so I asked them if filming had gone well. Mark laughed. "Ken was reading the script with us, but he kept stopping to ask questions and we never actually got to film today. Fortunately, he was scheduled to work on filming all week and the crew thought they would only need him three days." 

I looked startled. "What? Did he not understand the script, or was something else confusing him?"

Jack looked amused. "He kept getting sidetracked. He would read for a while then ask a question about why someone was doing something, and why this didn't happen, or why they reacted a certain way, and then he would ask about something else from there, until he was rather off topic. It was almost funny, except it was making the director and a few people cranky. Ken's a good sport though and took it well. Now, are ye ready ta go?"

I grabbed a few things and my purse. "Ready. Um, you guys know where the restaurant is, right? I've never been there and have no idea. Mark, maybe you better drive again." I handed my keys over. My hips didn't really hurt anymore, but if Mark knew the way, it would better if he drove. Besides, I was fine with riding in the back, either next to Jack, or by myself. When we got down to my car, Jack must have decided I looked lonely when I got in the back, because he climbed in the backseat too. I smiled at him and leaned over, giving him a gentle kiss. He put an arm around me, scooting close. Matt and Ryan had come down right behind us and suddenly stopped by the side of my car. Mark hadn't gotten in yet, so he was talking to them outside. It looked like they were asking for a ride, since they didn't know where the restaurant was either. My suspicions were confirmed when Mark got in and told us Matt and Ryan would be riding with us as well, if we didn't mind. I shook my head, indicting it was fine, after all it was my car, and Ryan climbed in the front seat. Matt climbed in next to Jack, who scooted even closer to me. I grinned. I was happy to have a reason to sit close, eevn if we were sitting far closer than we needed to. I leaned my head on his shoulder as we drove away. He kept an arm wrapped around me the whole drive. Ryan turned around at one point and commented how adorable we were, and I caught Mark's eyes in the mirror, knowing he wanted to be back here with us. I blew him a kiss, making him smile. 

When we got to the restaurant, we noticed we were the last ones there. Mark got out first, opening the door for me. It took me a minute to untangle my seatbelt from Jack's and escape the vehicle. Jack slid out next to me, grabbing my hand. Mark grabbed my other hand, so we were all holding hands as we walked into the restaurant. I was very happy. Suzy waved us over to the very large table section we had been assigned and we quickly found seats. Somehow, I ended up sitting next to Jack and Dan, with Mark directly across from me. Jack had his hand on my leg, and I could feel Mark sliding his foot up and down my other leg. I smiled at them, but there was a warning for them to behave in my look. They smiled back, but didn't stop touching me. I sighed a little. 

Dan looked at me. "Is something wrong? Are your hips still bothering you?"

I smiled up at him. "No, just a passing thought. I'm fine. Really." Dan looked at Jack and Mark, eyes slightly narrowed as though he suspected them of something. "Really Dan. I'm good. You don't have to worry."

"If you're sure. Well, alright then. What are you working on now at work, besides editing for these two losers?" Dan grinned at Mark and Jack. Arin, who was sitting on his other side, overheard and leaned in to hear.

"Well, I usually get the editing done for them first, but it doesn't take all that long. We have a pretty big buffer worked up too, so I can even wait if I felt like it, but I would rather get it done before I work on other things. I also have the stuff for my channel. I've been trying to do at least one animation a week, and that's what I was working on today. I feel like it's almost perfect, it just needs a few tiny tweaks. I'll probably post it tomorrow, if I can get it finished." 

Arin looked at me. "Your animations are really good. If you ever want a job, or need something after this TV show thing dies, the Grumps could certainly use your skills, if you don't want to switch over to being a full time YouTuber."

I smiled. "Thanks. I don't think I'm quite to the point where just doing YouTube would be enough yet, but I'm not abandoning my job at any rate. I still have plenty of editing to do and coordination with the film crew. Basically, besides the editing I do for Jack and Mark, I edit some of the footage shot for the show, coordinate schedules, and do publicity. I just work fast, so I finish projects early and have time to work on other things. My boss knows, and approves. In fact, she is having me do promos for the show on my channel occasionally starting next month, and there will be promos for my channel added to the show, just like the rest of the guys."

Jack looked at me. "I didn't know that. When did they decide that?"

"When my channel started to take off, after I got back from the convention. And when they saw my animation. I have to make a couple of animations for promos, but I've already got them banked and waiting for when I get the green light to post them. It should be in about three or four weeks." 

Matt looked down the table at me. "I still don't know how you get everything done. You are wickedly fast at editing, always finishing Jack's videos before I even finish one of Mark's. You have even done all of their videos and still been done early on days when I was wrapped up in other projects, even when they recorded more than the usual two a day." He shook his head. "Plus, you always manage to know what's going on with all the camera crew and other editors."

I started blushing, and grinned. "I'm just that good."

Mark murmured, "Yeah, you are."

My blush intensified. Everyone who hear him laughed except Jack, who was looking at me and giving me a wink and nodding his head. Just then the waitress came over, and I was saved from any further embarrassment. I perused the menu, looking for something I didn't usually cook for myself. I ended up ordering Chicken Marsala and mushroom risotto. Jack ordered a baked shell dish, stuffed with cheese, sausage, and spices. Mark got a dish called Cozze alla Maniera Salentina, which was some kind of seafood dish. Dan ordered the eggplant parmesan, and after that I lost track. Several appetizers were ordered to be hared around the table and bread and salad came out for everyone. The food was quite good, and Mark, Jack, and I ended up trading little tastes of each others dishes so we could try everything. I was fairly sure I could make the dishes we ordered, given time and a few tries. As we ate, conversation ranged to a variety of topics, from YouTube and gaming, to food, to relationships and the future. Mostly I just listened and enjoyed spending time with these amazing people. Eventually, we all finished. A few people, including Jack, ordered dessert, but I declined. I was too full, and I wanted to be comfortable at Dave and Buster's, not feel sick from over eating. When the dessert eaters finished and the bill was divided up, we all headed back to the cars and waved goodbye to most of the Game Grumps crew. Since we would be driving right past the office, Matt and Ryan were going to be dropped off to get their car and we would all meet at Dave and Buster's after. I snuggled in next to Jack again, but this time, I was in the middle of the back seat, and Ryan was next to me. We talked as we rode back to work, and we waved to Matt and Ryan as they got out. Then Mark drove away. We got to our destination just a few minutes behind everyone else. We all went in and started playing games. Mandy and Bob were teasing Mark about a past incident, one that had apparently happened on Mark's birthday and their anniversary, when Mark had been playing air hockey and got a little too aggressive, accidentally hitting Mandy, who wasn't even at the table playing.

Since Ken was the birthday boy, we let him take the lead, choosing what we played next. Since there were so many people, we had to divide into teams. Molly suggested guys against girls, but there were more of them than us, so Jack and Mark were dragged over to our team. I don't think they minded too much, even though they protested. We now had two teams of seven each. One team headed over to the arcade first, the guys, and the other team, us ladies, Jack, and Mark, headed for the sports and competitive games. We chose skeeball first. When we were all tired of that, we went over to air hockey, but I warned Jack and Mark they better be careful. Mandy, Suzy, and Mary chose to watch as we played. Mark was the first one out. Things got crazy after that, with Molly and I beating Jack next and having a neck in neck game afterwards. I beat Molly, but it was really close. We all grinned like children and headed over to the arcade after that. We ended up staying and playing games for several more hours before Matt and Ryan had to leave. Before long Suzy and Arin left, taking Dan with them, since they drove him. It was down to Ken, Mary, Bob, Mandy, Wade, Molly, Jack, Mark, and I. We decided to go back out to the air hockey table and play that some more, playing couples. We planned to play more than one game, so I told Jack and Mark we would trade out who was playing and who was just watching. Since I was the winner of the earlier air hockey match, I decided to just watch first. It was hilarious. 

By the second game, Mark was ready to sit one out, so he and I switched. Jack and I had a fairly good advantage now, since I was coming in fresh and we won. Jack went to go get something to drink and Mark switched in for him. We narrowly lost to Bob and Mandy in this last game, but didn't mind too much, since Jack had brought us back cold teas. I kissed him on the cheek as thanks and we all three sat down. Ken, Wade, and Bob were playing a game of air hockey between themselves now. I smiled watching them, when suddenly the air hockey puck went flying off the table and smacked me dead center in the forehead. I blinked three times, unsure if it had really happened and looked down. Yup, there was the puck, floating in my drink. The entire group seemed frozen in place. I reached and hand up to my head and said "Ow." Suddenly, everyone sprung into action.

Wade, Bob, and Ken came running over and apologized profusely. I waved them off. Mandy, Molly and Mary came over to see if I was okay. I told them I was fine. Mark and Jack were looking at my forehead, trying to determine if I needed ice or how badly it was going to bruise. I rolled my eyes and said loud enough for all of them to hear, "Enough. It was an accident and I'm not really that hurt from it. Here." I fished the puck out of my tea and handed it to Wade. Then I made Bob go get me another tea. Jack and Mark were sitting on either side of me in a booth, so I sat back and rested my head on Mark's shoulder. Jack put his arm around me. "I'm really okay guys. Thanks for checking." I leaned over and gave each of them a sweet kiss on the cheek. Mark slid out of the booth to go talk to Ken, Bob, and Wade when Bob got back with my drink. Jack refused to leave me alone in the booth. To be quite honest, I was a little bit glad. My head did hurt and my hips were starting to ache again from the long day. I leaned into Jack and rested my head on him, closing my eyes. It was too noisy to fall asleep, but I was comfortably drowsy and we stayed like that for the rest of the evening. Before long, Mark came over and said it was time to go home, and I agreed. I grabbed my drink and purse, fishing out some painkillers from the depths of my bag, and swallowing them with the last of my tea. I followed Jack and Mark out to my car. I offered to drive, but Mark insisted and told me to get in the back next to Jack. I obeyed and Jack pulled me in close, making me lean into him. I didn't resist. I closed my eyes as Jack stroked my hair and Mark drove us home. 

I had actually fallen asleep by the time we got back to my apartment, but woke up when the car stopped. Jack told me to go back to sleep, but I sat up and shook my head. My nap had restored my energy and my headache was gone, either from the nap or from the painkillers I had taken. I hopped out of the car and raced up to my door, forced to wait until Mark got there with the keys, since he was the one who had driven. I tapped my foot, impatient, as Jack and Mark approached. They chuckled, clearly amused at my energy. When Mark unlocked the door, I bounded in dropping my purse by the door, pausing only long enough to grab my phone to plug it in to charge. I grabbed my laptop next and camera, sitting down to record a vlog. I did my usual intro and launched into a funny video about the party yesterday and Ken's birthday celebration today. I mentioned being hit in the head, in case any of my viewers wondered about the small bump on my forehead and the bruise, but make it into a very funny story. When I was done I wished CinnamonToastKen a happy birthday in my video, mentioned my birthday was coming up the next day and there would probably be an extra video or two, and did my outro. After I finished, I did a lightening fast edit, rendered the video and uploaded it. Jack and Mark were playing a game and watching me, so when I stretched after editing, they looked over at me. Jack asked "Are ye done already?"

I grinned. "Of course. The video is rendering and as soon as it's done I'm going to upload it. It shouldn't take long. Why?"

Mark shook his head. "That was super speedy. We have only been home forty five minutes or so. So, are you tired? Do you want to go to bed?"

I gave him a sassy look. "Those are two completely different questions." I saw both men's expressions change from concerned to carnal in an instant. 

Jack cleared his throat and swallowed. "But ye didn't answer either one." He was practically whining as he said this, and his tone made me squirm slightly in my seat.

I playfully swatted a hand at the two of them. "If you two are so tired, or want to go to bed that desperately, I'm not stopping you. I'll be along in a little bit." I raised my eyebrows to see if they would take the bait. They looked at each other for several seconds before shutting the game off and heading to the bedroom. I giggled, knowing they would still be awake for quite some time. I checked the rendering progress. Almost halfway. I looked at the time. Eleven fifteen. Hmmm. I stood up, set my laptop on the table and headed back down the hall toward my boyfriends.

They only had a few minute head start on me, but it was enough, they were both gloriously naked when I walked in. Neither of them noticed me enter, being otherwise occupied. I watched as they kissed each other deeply, their hands roaming up and down each other, their bodies locked tightly together. Sweet mother of mercy, they were so sexy. I growled deep in my chest, striping as I walked over to the edge of the bed. Jack heard me and looked up, grinning as he saw me advancing. Mark noticed when I sat down on the edge of the bed. They separated enough to drag me over into the mix. Before I had even been in the room five minutes I was on my knees, giving Jack head while Mark was behind me, fingering me and getting ready to do me doggy style. Jack was moaning and nearly mindless by the time Mark finally stopped teasing me. Jack came down my throat with a particularly sinful moan when I groaned from the sudden thrusting. I released Jack and leaned down into the bed, quieting myself with a face full of pillows. Jack watched Mark pounding into me with abandon for a few moments. When Mark was finished and laid down next to me, Jack rolled over and cuddled in close. The two men were done for the night and soon fell asleep. I was satisfied, but not particularly sleepy, so I got up and cleaned up a little, gathering the hastily discarded clothes as I went. I put on an over sized tee shirt and walked back down the hall to my laptop. It was eleven forty five and my video was done rendering. I uploaded it and started working on my animation. I continued to work until I started to get sleepy, around two thirty. I only had twenty or so minutes left to go of rendering on my animation, so I decided to wait to go to bed until it finished, heading over to social media to check to see what was new and what people were saying. I was surprised by how many hits my vlog had gotten, considering it went up at nearly midnight. The comments were fantastic, mostly people appreciating my sense of humor and the funny behind the scenes look into the lives of some fellow YouTubers. I also had a lot of birthday wishes, both from YouTube comments and on Twitter. I grinned and composed a tweet 'Thanks for all the birthday wishes. We hobbits appreciate the celebrations.' Below it I posted a link to information about Hobbit Day. It always amused me that I could claim the same birthday as several characters from the novels (Bilbo and Frodo Baggins). When the American Tolkien Society had helped get Hobbit Day created, they had chosen the day for that very reason. I also tweeted out a message about OneWebDay and the Autumnal Equinox, since they were also today. Hey, if I was gonna claim to be a geek, and geek things happened on my birthday, you better believe I was going to know about them and share that knowledge with the world _**{A/N -- Me again. Yes, all these things really are on September 22. That last sentence of the work pretty much sums me up in a nutshell. ;) }**_ I looked at Tumblr for several minutes, surfing around different pages, until I heard a noise behind me. I looked up to see a naked, very sleepy Jack, rubbing his eyes and yawning. "Wh-what time is it? Why aren't ye in bed?"

I smiled at him. "I wasn't tired and I wanted to get some things done. I'm sorry if I woke you. I was trying to be quiet. I have a little bit of insomnia sometimes and can't sleep. Tonight appears to be one of those nights. Go back to bed. I'll come back soon."

Jack walked over and grabbed one of the fluffy blankets off the couch, wrapping himself up in it as he sat down next to me. "Nope. I'll stay here and keep ye company. Maybe having me here will help ye get ta sleep." I smiled at him and he leaned on my shoulder. "Whatcha looking at?"

"Well, I was checking Twitter a few minutes ago, now I looking at Tumblr. I tweeted a couple of things and thanked a bunch of followers for birthday wishes." Jack leaned over and kissed the side of my neck before settling back down against my shoulder, curling his legs up next to himself on the couch. "I'm just waiting for the animation to finish so I can schedule it to upload to YouTube later today. It's nearly done and I really want to finish it." I looked over at Jack. He was sound asleep on my shoulder. I smiled and kissed his soft green hair. I spent the next few hours surfing the web and goofing around online. Mark wandered out around six in the morning looking for Jack and me. He smiled when he saw Jack asleep on my shoulder.

"How long has he been like that?" Mark asked me in a very hushed tone.

"Oh, since about three o'clock this morning. I couldn't sleep, so I was working. My animation is finished and it's set to release at seven. I have been answering comments on Twitter, Tumblr, and YouTube most of the night. What got you up so early?"

"Everyone was missing from our bed. Happy birthday, by the way babe." I grinned at Mark. 

"Thanks. Sorry we abandoned you. I didn't know Jack was going to come looking for me, and I tried to convince him to go back to bed, but he didn't listen. He fell asleep almost as soon as he sat down. The goof." I kissed the top of his head again fondly. He stirred a little, tucking himself into a tighter ball on the couch.

Mark grinned. "I'll go start some coffee and breakfast. What sounds good this morning? Waffles? Pancakes? Muffins? Cereal and Milk? Eggs and Toast?"

"Actually, Mark, you don't need to cook for me. I can come get some fruit and toast later. I'm not really that hungry right now."

Mark looked over at me. "It's your birthday. I'm making you breakfast. Eggs or waffles?"

"Eggs are good. But really, you don't have..."

Mark cut me off with a look. "It was supposed to be breakfast in bed, but _someone_ never went to bed, so she can't get her birthday breakfast delivered properly. Honestly, you're so difficult sometimes, but I love you anyway." Mark came over and pulled my face close for a kiss. It was a sweet gentle kiss, the kind that make you think you have all day to enjoy them and have no real sexual tension in them. Perfect. Jack stirred and woke up just as Mark was pulling away. Jack's movements caused his blanket to fall off him, revealing our naked boyfriend. Mark chuckled. "Well, that's one way to deliver a birthday present."

Jack blushed and covered himself again. "What time is it? An what am I doin on tha couch at god knows what time this is?" 

I smiled at his grumpy attitude. "It's just after six, you fell asleep on me after you came out looking for me around three, and I didn't have the heart to wake you up to make you go back to the bedroom."

Jack looked down. "I guess that also explains tha nudity." I grinned a little wider and nodded. "Did ye get any sleep?"

"Come on Jack, you know what you always say..." Mark joined in when I said the next part "SLEEP IS FOR THE WEAK!"

Jack rolled his eyes at us. "It's too damn early in th' day ta be quotin' me, especially ta myself." He leaned over and gave me a kiss. "Happy birthday darlin." 

"Thanks Jack." I felt like a permanent smile had been stuck on my face, and I didn't mind. When Jack uncurled himself and stretched, I took the opportunity to set my laptop down and make a run for the bathroom. I grabbed some clean clothes and took a fast shower while I was there, washing my hair and rinsing all the sweat from my body. Even though it was late September, it was still quite hot out and I always felt sticky in the morning, even on nights when I couldn't sleep. Jack's body heat against me all night hadn't helped me stay cool either. I felt much better after the cool shower. I brushed and blow dried my hair, not bothering to style it more than that. I dressed quickly and returned to the living room, sitting down just as Mark brought out my breakfast. Jack had gotten up and grabbed himself a cup of coffee while I was gone. Mark told him there was food in the kitchen ready if he was hungry. Jack wandered in and grabbed a plate, tying the blanket around his waist so he could use both hands. Mark shook his head at this and sat down next to me with his own plate of food. We ate in companionable silence before the boys grabbed the empty plates and dashed off to get ready for work. When we were all ready, we headed out, leaving a little bit early.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry yesterday's update was so short. My other story had a massive chapter (I think it was about 6000+ words) and I was having issues with back pain, making it too hard to concentrate for any longer. Besides, I had an idea this was going to be a long chapter, with all I wanted to do.


	31. My Birthday

After we drove in to work, Jack and Mark insisted on recording collab videos with me, making sure to mention to the fans it was my birthday. We filmed three games, so there was footage to go up multiple times, but both men wanted at least one of the videos up today. I sighed when they told me, thinking of the extra editing, and got to work. I finished one video each just in time to make the second daily regularly scheduled upload for both of them. I edited the other videos and added them for tomorrow and the next day, shuffling videos around so things would stay smoothly operational. Having both men's uploads start at eight AM and be done by noon, seemed like a plan, until you needed to change a video so something was released in a timely fashion or addressed an issue that happened the same day. Occasionally, the only solution was an extra video or something being released late, but I had been working with Mark and Jack for quite a long time now, and I simply refused to let that happen. Even when Jack and I were in the hospital, the videos had always been on time, if they had been released. Jack had missed a few uploads during that time because we ran out of extras. That was part of why I always made sure to keep a large stockpile. I had actually gotten enough videos that either man could take a month away from filming without missing uploads. The fans might notice, but I wasn't sure. I switched the stockpiled videos in and out regularly, so none of them were very old. It was reassuring to know that if something came up at the last minute or someone got sick, we wouldn't be in a pinch. 

Even with the extra editing, I finished my work by three PM, leaving me several hours before Jack and Mark were done filming. I decided to work on editing a few extra videos for my own channel. I headed down the hall to 'Jack's' recording studio and got my setup going. I filmed for about an hour and a half, doing some Let's Plays of a few games I had been meaning to try. Once I was done, I gathered everything up, restored the studio to how it was before I recorded, and headed back to my office to edit. I was just finishing the last video when my door opened and the guys all come in. I smiled at them and continued thumbnailing, not wanting to lose my place. A few minutes later, my crew came in, carrying several presents and a tower of cupcakes, singing Happy Birthday. The rest of the office soon followed, squeezing in until my office was quite full. I was touched and thanked them. Everyone grabbed a cupcake (or two) and I opened the presents. They were awesome! Someone had gotten me a new handheld camera for recording videos on the go, there was a really high end pair of headphones, a new cellphone case, and several pairs of earring in the shapes of various superhero logos, YouTube channel logos, and molecules. I was touched and thanked everyone again. Vicki told me her present to me was extra time off when we broke for holiday filming hiatus. I would still have some work then, but mostly it was just daily filming and editing for Jack and Mark, or anything for my personal channel. Vicki took the opportunity to announce the official filming schedule through the end of the year. "Okay, folks. I know everyone has been asking. We will be wrapping filming on November fifteenth until after the new year. For most of you, that means you will only need to be here about five or six hours a week, for the special projects you have been assigned. Our stars will be out of office for the whole time, unless they need to stop in for something. Heads of departments get a month off, unless you have been awarded bonus time." She looked at me and winked. I grinned back. "Editors, you will have normal hours for the most part, but you will get at least two weeks off for the holidays, but they might not be two weeks in a row. Talk to your supervisor. Sound and film crew, we have some promotions to film that don't involve our YouTube friends, which is why we can still give you any hours at all. See your supervisor if you would rather just take the time off, but do note, if you opt out of the hours, you won't be paid. Any questions? No? Good, now everybody clear out. This office is WAY too crowded and I doubt [y/n] can breathe back there." 

Everybody piled out except the guys and my crew. Several of my crew were hanging bak to ask me questions or ask for the time off to spend with their families. I got that all sorted in short order. They left and it was just me and the YouTubers. Jack grabbed me by the waist as I stood up, swinging me around in a circle. I laughed and told him to put me down, but even when he did, he kept one arm around me. I didn't mind in the least. Mark moved over and told me he was claiming a birthday kiss. He leaned in and kissed me, drawing wolf whistles from Wade and Ryan. I blushed and Jack whispered in my ear, "I'll wait until later. I want ta do it in private." My blush got even brighter. I shut down my computer, grabbed the armload of presents and handed them to Mark to carry down to my car, and shooed everyone out, grabbing my purse, shutting off the lights and locking the door as I left. We needed to leave to get to the Grumps office for my party after all and Dan had just texted me he was waiting in the parking lot. I was looking forward to this!

Dan drove Mark, Jack and I to the Grump space. I was bouncing with energy, much to Jack's amusement. He turned to me, asking, "How are ye even still awake? Did ye take a nap at work or something?"

"Ha! I don't need no stinking sleep! After I finished editing your videos and Mark's, I recorded about an hour and a half of my own gameplay for my channel, edited it and rendered it. I was just finishing the thumbnails when everybody showed up in my office. I managed to put them in my uploads on YouTube to be released later."

Mark grinned at me. "Well, if you are tiring Jack out, just from watching you, you must have a load of energy today. Just how much coffee have you had?"

I smirked at him. "All I've had to drink all day is juice and water. I didn't even drink any tea!"

Dan laughed, having listened to the whole exchange. "Holy balls, what's gotten in to you? And why are Mark and Jack so surprised you are still awake? I mean you do seem to have more energy than Jack has ever had before, but you usually have a lot of energy."

Jack spoke up. "Blasphemy! I have all of the energy!" I giggled. Jack looked a little sheepish. "Okay, she has more energy than me right now, and I have no idea how that's even possible. She never even slept last night." 

Dan risked a quick look at me. I was grinning over at Jack, practically radiating energy and happiness. Dan shook his head. "Whoa."

"Hey, I had insomnia. It happens sometimes. I'll probably be able to sleep just fine tonight. Maybe. If not, I'll just do something boring until I'm tired, okay? It's happened before. In college and every few years since, I have these spells where I go for a week with barely any sleep because I have too much energy. I saw a doctor about it and he said unless I went for three days straight with no sleep and I wasn't feeling poorly, I was probably okay. Personally, I think it's because I slept so much last week and when I was not feeling well." 

Dan looked at me with a question in his eyes. "Last week?"

I blushed a little. "Um, yeah. I was having my monthly fun and I had zero energy." 

Dan chuckled a little as he pulled into the Grump Space parking lot. "Too much info babe." 

I was the first one out of the car. I couldn't get in yet, but I just hopped out and started dancing around to music from my cell phone. The guys watched me for a second before Mark and Jack grabbed my hands and pulled me along behind them, following Dan up to the party. Everyone else was already here or got here at the same time we did, so the party got underway immediately. I raided the sushi, grabbing a big plate with all my favorites and claimed a seat next to the Karaoke machine. For some reason I was starved. Jack and Mark watched in astonishment as I ate the entire plate of food at record speed, before going back and getting more. Suzy saw and laughed. She came over to talk to me after I got settled back down. "So, birthday girl, how's it going? You seem lively today. Hips feeling better?"

I grinned. "Yup. I'm great. I'm just starving for some reason." I was still eating, but I had slowed down to a more normal pace. "I have a ton of energy today for some reason. It's freaking Jack and Mark out."

"Speaking of your lovely boyfriends, how are things going? Got any mad revenge plans?" 

"Well, actually, yes. I have a few ideas. What I end up doing my depend on a few other factors later. One of them will involve Mark's family, but I'm keeping that in reserve. For now, I'm going to use my new video camera and record them singing some karaoke. Depending on how that goes, it may or may not appear on my channel later tonight..."

Suzy laughed. "Oh, I like how you think. Let me know if I can help." I nodded. Suzy wandered off to talk to some other people and I finished the second plate of sushi. As soon as I set the plate down, Jack came over.

"Ye demolished that sushi, love! What happened, did we forget ta feed ye today? I could have sworn I saw ye eat breakfast at home."

"So I was hungry. Don't make such a big deal out of it. It's not like I'm going to sit here all evening doing nothing. I want to dance in a little while. I am going to go play some games now, I'm going to sing some karaoke. Hell, I might even run in circles just to burn off some energy. If I still am feeling this energetic later, I might need you and Mark to help me burn some of it off as well."

Jack blushed and grinned. "I don't know if I should hope for that or not. Ye have so much energy today, I'm half afraid yer gonna damage one of us." 

I raised an eyebrow. "Hey, you two weren't the ones with sore hips in front of company the other day!" Jack's blush got much, much brighter as he looked at the floor, unable to meet my eyes. "We still need to talk about a few things. But not tonight." I stood up and gave Jack a kiss, which did nothing to calm his blushes, especially when everyone started hooting and cheering. Mark looked jealous, so I walked over and planted one on him too. He turned almost as red as Jack. I called out "Any other takers?"

Everybody laughed. I was grinning when Dan came over. "No, I'm not here for a kiss. I was hoping I could convince you to come play some games with us." 

"Sure, Dan. Let me grab a drink and then you can lead me to where ever. What are we playing?" I grabbed a bottle of hard cider and followed Dan. He lead me to the recording space the Grumps used for their table flip series. Cards Against Humanity was set up. 

We played for a good long time, probably close to an hour before I felt the need to get up and move. I was still feeling overly energetic and wanted to go dance, so I found the area where the music was set up and put some dance music on. I found Jack and Mark, dragging them over to dance with me. They didn't last long, but other people came and went as well, so I wasn't dancing alone most of the time. After a while, I ran out of good dance music to play, and the music that started up next wasn't my favorite, so I wandered off to see what else was going on. That's when I remembered the karaoke. I had slipped my new camera in my purse, while we were driving over, so I grabbed it and asked Molly to record me doing a few songs. She happily agreed. After I did the first song, a catchy pop song from the eighties, I had drawn a crowd. They all were cheering me on to keep going. "First, I need a partner to sing a duet with." I announced looked at Jack and Mark. They both blushed. "Second, I need another drink. Somebody grab me a soda please!" I was handed a cold bottle and I took a big drink, before looking back at Jack and Mark. "Well?" They looked at each other. "Oh, okay. I never thought you'd both be shy. I guess I'll have to pick a different song. Gimme a minute gang." I turned around, winking at Suzy. She started heckling Mark and Jack. Before long Dan and Arin joined in, then Wade and Bob. It was good natured teasing, but it had the desired effect. Jack jumped up to join me. "Alright! " We sang the song 'Opposites Attract', much to the amusement of the rest of the party, doing a pretty decent job. Apparently, it was enough to spur Mark forward, because he claimed the next song with me, picking 'A Whole New World'. I laughed and sang along. Someone else grabbed the mic after that and I grabbed my camera from Molly. I shut it off, but kept it handy, hoping Jack or Mark would get up and sing again.

Eventually, Suzy, Mandy, and Molly slipped off. I didn't notice at first, until they came back with a cake and a cart full of presents and cards. I was overwhelmed and thanked everyone as sincerely as I could, after they sang and I blew out the candles. Suzy cut the cake, Molly added ice cream to the plates, and Mandy handed them out. After I ate my dessert, I noticed it was getting late and people started leaving. I looked up and saw Jack yawning. I walked over to him. "Tired?" He nodded. "Then let's find Dan and Mark. It's going to take a little while to load my presents and say goodbye, but I think the party is winding down anyway." We walked off, finding Mark eating some leftover cake in the corner. He looked like a kid getting caught with his hand in a cookie jar. It was adorable. "Hey Markimoo. Jack's getting tired so I think we better gather everything up and head home. Finish your cake and say your goodbyes okay? I'm going to go find Dan." I left Jack with Mark, noticing Jack eyeing the extra cake as well. 

When I found Dan, he was definitely ready to head out as well. We said our goodbyes to everyone, and met Jack and Mark by the door. I made the guys haul most of my presents downstairs, and I grabbed the last few and the stack of cards. I waved goodbye one final time as I walked out the door. I had amazing friends and an awesome party. I was going home with my two lovers and a pretty great friend was driving, so I could snuggle in the back seat if I wanted. Life was very good right now.

During the drive home, my energy suddenly ran out. I was snuggling with Mark and Jack, sitting between them, just listening to the night sounds and the sounds of their breathing when suddenly it felt like I was a balloon that had been untied and all the energy I had just rushed out of me. I yawned once and closed my eyes, falling instantly into a deep sleep. The last thing I heard before I was completely out of it was Mark's deep voice whispering "Goodnight baby. We love you and happy birthday."


	32. Testing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time passes quickly after your birthday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so late. Computer issues and a double, extra long update on How We Met took way longer than I thought.
> 
> Some sweet fluffy goodness. And yes this is a short chapter with a cliffhanger. I promise to be earlier with the next update.

The next few weeks flew by, marked by extra work on my part to prepare for the upcoming vacations we were taking and the end of filming for the winter break on the TV show. October rolled around before I knew it. One day, about two thirds of the way through the month, I suddenly realized how close Halloween was. I was always a huge fan, getting or making costumes, carving pumpkins, baking cookies, decorating my house, and often throwing a party. I walked out of the bedroom one evening, where I had been working, and looked over at Jack and Mark. "So, Halloween is coming right up. Any plans for what we should do?"

Jack looked thoughtful. "Whatever ye want is good with me. I don't know how much ye usually celebrate."

Mark grinned at us. "I want to at least carve some pumpkins and put them out. And buy some candy to give away to the trick-or-treaters."

I laughed. "So little ambition. I usually make a costume, decorate, bake, and throw a party. But if that's too much for you guys..."

Jack clapped his hands. "That sounds like a load of fun. Mark and I can decorate. "

Mark nodded. "And we will take care of our own costumes. You don't have to worry, [y/n]."

I smiled at them. "Good. Now who do we invite?" We sat down and made a guest list, a list of the food and drinks to serve, and a list of activities to have available. I was feeling super organized and ready to get this shindig underway, when suddenly I noticed the calendar. We had been discussing what day to have the party on, and Jack had carried it over. I looked at today's date and turned pale. Jack and Mark both noticed.

"Babe? What's wrong?" Mark reached over to take one of my hands in his. I was staring at the calendar like it was a horror game jump scare scene. Both Mark and Jack looked at it as well, puzzled expressions on their faces.

Jack was the first of the men to figure it out. "Um, [y/n], it's the twenty third today isn't it?" I nodded numbly. Jack swallowed and turned pale as well. "Oh darlin', I think I know what that means..."

I looked over at Jack, my eyes wide and my lips pressed tightly together. Mark was still looking back and forth between the calendar and me. "What's going on? One minute everything was perfectly normal, then Jack got out the calendar and both of you turned paler than ghosts. Can one of you please explain? NOW?"

I got up and stumble to the bathroom, feeling overwhelmed by sudden emotions. I heard Jack telling Mark, "Mark, ye dumb ass look at the date. Now think. What's important that happens that might be of concern to all of us, that seeing the calendar might remind us of?"

I sat on the bathroom floor, with the door open, leaning against the tub. I was trying not to panic. Could it really be true? I heard Mark answer Jack, still sounding confused. "Um, I don't follow Jack."

I heard Jack sigh loudly. "She is late ye doof."

"Late for what? What are you... Oh, shit..."

"Really, Mark? Were ye really going ta ask late for what?"

"Hey, cut me a break. It's not something I typically think of first thing. It's been a long time since I had a girlfriend before this."

"Well, we better go check on her. I think she was on tha edge of a panic attack."

"Jack, um, just how late are we talking here? A few days? A week?"

"Mark, I think it's closer to two weeks. That's why she is so freaked out. And we both forgot ta wear a condom that one day, about a month ago..."

"Oh shit. I forgot about that."

"Yeah. Jaysus, no wonder she looked like she was going ta pass out. Let's go check on her. And I think we need ta have that long postponed talk now."

I had curled my legs in close, so I had my knees up my my chest and face. My arms were resting on the tops of my knees and I had my face buried in my arms. I was gently rocking back and forth, moaning quietly and crying silently to myself. I heard Jack and Mark coming closer, but I couldn't stop myself from reacting this way. It was ll I could do to stop moaning. 

Jack reached me first. "Oh, sweetheart. Come here, love. It'll be okay. Shh. Shh. Just let it go." Jack pulled me in for a hug and started rubbing my back, trying to calm me. Mark took one look at me and scooped me up, carrying me out to the couch. He set me down gently and sat down next to me, wrapping his arms around me. Jack had followed and did the same from the other side. I was still crying, but I didn't even realize it. It was just a steady stream of tears flowing down my face, eerily silent. We stayed like that for a long time, until someone knocked on the front door. Mark jumped up and went to go answer it. As soon as Mark left, I slumped over into Jack and buried my face in his tee shirt. He pulled me in as close as he could and just let me cry. 

Mark came back a few minutes later, with Dan trailing behind him. Dan took one look at me and asked "What the hell did you guys do to her?"

I looked up, through my tears, at Dan and shook my head. "They didn't do anything wrong Dan."

"Bullshit. Why are you so upset then?"

"Um, I don't want to tell you. Please just let it go."

Dan looked down at me sadly. Finally, he nodded. "Alright, for now, I'll leave it alone, but if I see anything like this again, I'm going to kick some ass." Dan ran a hand through his hair. "Anyway, I'm here to invite you to a party at Arin and Suzy's apartment for Halloween. Arin sent me." Mark told him we would be there and Dan left again. I was calmed down a lot now as well. 

I looked up at Mark. "Can you please drive me to the pharmacy? I think I better get some home testing kits."

Mark looked nervous, but nodded. Jack offered to come with us, and I accepted. Mark dropped us off and went to go find a parking space. I grabbed Jack's hand and walked in, reading the signs above the aisles for the one I needed. When I found it, we walked over to the wall of home pregnancy tests. I knew we should buy more than one, just in case. I looked them over and selected four that looked easy to use and clear to read. One of them even sent the results to your cell phone, along with information about how far along you were if you were pregnant. Another one just told you how many weeks along the pregnancy was. The other two were more standard, just a simple pregnant or not pregnant on one and a smiley face or a frowny face on the other. I put them all in a basket and Jack carried them up to the counter to pay, I stopped and eyed the candy, finally selecting some chocolate covered blueberries that were on sale. I went up and paid for them, joining Jack as we searched for Mark. I spotted him first, as he slowly came around the end of an aisle, apparently still looking for a spot. We ran over to the car and climbed in. Mark asked, "How did it go?"

I swallowed down my panic at the thought of what we had just purchased and said, "Fine. I picked a bunch out and I'll try them when we get home." It felt like the longest drive of my life. When we got home, Jack carried the bag in from the car and I slowly walked in behind him. Mark followed close behind me. I was feeling extremely nervous as I took the bag from Jack and unloaded its contents onto the bathroom counter top. I opened each box and removed the wrappers. I carefully read all the instructions. I set up the test with the cell phone alert, entering my number. There was a spot for another number, so I looked up at Jack and Mark. "Who?" my voice came out as a croak. I tried clearing my throat before speaking again. "Who else should I send the results to?" Jack and Mark looked at each other. "Me." They both said it at exactly the same time. I entered Jack's number and was relieved when it came up with the option to enter a third number. I entered Mark's number. When it prompted me for a fourth number I just pushed enter with no number and it went into test ready mode. I swallowed hard. It was time. I took all the pregnancy tests at once. Now we had to wait. This was going to be the longest five minutes of my life. I stood up and washed my hands, lining the tests up on the counter. Then I walked out of the bathroom and went out to the living room. I collapsed on the couch, feeling emotionally wrung out. Jack and Mark came out with me and sat down on either side of me. I suddenly had the urge to snuggle, so I leaned into Jack's shoulder and pulled Mark over close. They must have figured it out because they started cuddling me and we all got comfortable. Even as nervous as I was, it felt wonderful to be surrounded by the men I so dearly loved. 

Jack spoke up after a minute. "We probably should talk about this. Even if it turns out ta be nothing, we should discuss this for tha future." I swallowed past a lump in my throat and nodded. Mark made an indistinct noise of agreement and Jack continued. "Okay. Tha timing isn't great. We are all extremely busy. But I can't honestly say I would be that upset by the prospect of a baby. How do ye feel about it Mark?"

Mark looked thoughtful. "Well, I hadn't really considered it until now. I mean, I always said I wanted kids, and I want to have them while I'm young enough to enjoy it, so yeah, I can definitely think of worse problems to have." He paused for a minute. "Imagine, a tiny little baby with your eyes Jack and [y/n]'s smile. Or my nose and her chin. My god they would break the internet with the adorableness." He smiled. Jack grinned at him, clearly picturing it as well. I was still staying silent, scared out of my mind. All I could think was, what if I am pregnant and the guys think I did this on purpose to trap them. Oh god, what am I going to do? Jack's even breathing was all that was keeping me focused enough not to go into full panic mode once again. Mark leaned over and began stroking my hair, soothing my nerves more than I expected. "Babe, what are you thinking? I can tell you are trying to hold it together, but I want to know what's going on in that brilliant head of yours."

I tried to smile reassuringly. "Um, I'm not think much right now. My thoughts are all jumbled. The phrases 'Oh SHIT' and 'What am I going to do?' are running around on continuous loop. I'm scared." I blinked. I hadn't meant to say any of that out loud. "I'm not even sure which result I'm more scared of, being pregnant, or freaking out over nothing and not being pregnant. If I'm not pregnant, it's still not good, because that means there might be something wrong with me. If I am pregnant, well..."

Jack turned toward me and grabbed my chin, pulling me in for a kiss. When he released me, he said, "Sweetheart, no matter what we will stick by ye. We love ye ta pieces. I can't imagine spending my life without ye and Mark. This is everything I ever dreamed of and more." He hugged me in closer. His words penetrated the fog my brain was in and swept it away, allowing me to truly calm down for the first time since I saw the calendar when we were sitting at the table. 

I whispered "Thank you Jack. That helps a lot." I closed my eyes and waited for the timer that would determine the course the rest of my life was going to take.


	33. And the Results Are In...

When all of our cell phones chirped at the same time, we jumped. The time was at hand and the results were in. I was too nervous to move, other than to bury my face further into Jack's side. "Somebody else please look." I was muffled by Jack's shirt, but I was fairly sure they both heard me. Jack wrapped his arms around me, set his chin on the top of my head, and looked at Mark.

Mark took out his phone with shaky hands. I could just see him out of the corner of my eye. He unlocked the screen and looked. He looked over at us, swallowed, and nodded dumbly. The message wad here. Jack cleared his throat. "What" his voice cracked, he licked his lips and took a deep breath. "What does it say Mark?" 

Mark swallowed again and pressed his phone screen a few times. We waited, none of us breathing much, until he looked back up at us. He was smiling, but there were tears in his gorgeous brown eyes. "We are having a baby." His voice, normally so strong and rich, was a broken whisper. He lookwd at me again. I was still as a stone, not having moved an inch. "Sweetheart, did you hear me? I know the timing is off, but we are going to have a baby." He had found his voice again, but I was still in shock. I felt completely numb. Jack was smiling from ear to ear as well, hugging me even tighter. I felt like ice flowed through my veins as I struggled to process the news. A baby. We were going to be parents. I was having a baby. Suddenly, the room started to spin and I felt lightheaded. I fainted, still clinging to Jack. 

The first thing I heard when I came to, was a deep rumbling chuckle. I was confused. What was making that sound and why had I passed out? "Hey darling, are ye back with us? Ye gotta remember ta breathe, love. Are ye okay now?" I moved to sit up slowly. Jack helped me and Mark was watching me closely. I blushed at all the attention. I licked my very dry lips, and Mark handed me a glass of water. I took it with trembling hands, taking a few tiny sips. When I was done, before I could even reach out to set the glass down, Mark took it, wrapping my hand in his. I had never seen as much love on his eyes as I did now, and honestly, it scared the crap out of me. I made a move to stand up and Mark and Jack both shifted, moving to help me. 

That snapped me back to reality. "Guys, thanks for the offer to help, but I'm okay now. The news just took me by surprise and I was having trouble processing it. Now excuse me, I want to go do a few things, alone. I'll be right back though." I stepped out of the room, into the bathroom. I flipped over all of the pregnancy tests, one by one. Smiley face. Pregnant. Four to five weeks. They all said the exact same thing. I gathered them up, wiping the counter as put them all in a bag. After I cleaned up the bathroom, I headed back to the bedroom and retrieved my laptop. It was time to start looking for a doctor and I wanted to do my research as much as I could, so I could get this confirmed by a doctor right away. I didn't really doubt I was pregnant now, but I would feel more confident if I had medical testing backing it up. I carried my laptop out to the living room, plugged it in and curled up in one of my armchairs. I didn't feel very good, because of the panic attacks, so I wanted to sit by myself and just do my research. Jack and Mark saw me come in, eying me almost nervously. I ignored them for now and got as comfortable as I could, booting my computer up, and launching my web browser. Jack and Mark had apparently been talking quietly while I was gone, and resumed their conversation when they saw I was all right. They were both very excited and I could see the looks of pure joy and unconstrained love they were shooting my way. It felt great to know they cared that much, but honestly it was a little scary too. I wasn't the most comfortable around any extremely strong emotions. As I was researching OB/GYN's in the area, I suddenly realized something. I was going to be meeting Jack's and Mark's families for the first time, and I would be pregnant. I grinned as the second thought occurred to me. They would have to meet my family as well, and I knew my family would be the harder group to win over. How many times had Mark complained about his Mom and step-Mom asking when he was going to give them grandchildren? What was the very first thing Mark's mother had actually asked me? I wasn't worried about them at all. Jack's family was big and rowdy, with all his siblings being older, most already with kids, so I figured we would probably fit right in. I didn't realize I was smiling until Mark and Jack both looked over at me and stopped talking. "What's wrong guys?"

"Well, that smile you have right now is a little worrying to be honest. It doesn't exactly look like you are happy, but it's not a sad smile either. What are you thinking, babe?" Mark looked very concerned as he asked me this.

I chuckled a little weakly. "Think about our plans for the upcoming vacation. You know, traveling, _meeting families,_ that kind of thing."

Mark paled. Jack gave a weak, lopsided smile. My laugh got a little louder seeing their expressions. Jack raised an eyebrow. "Are ye planning on telling everyone in person then?"

I thought about it for a minute. "Well, I want to wait a little while. At least until we can get things confirmed by a doctor. And really I would rather wait until after the first trimester is over. That's the 'danger' part for losing the pregnancy. That's going to coincide with our family visits, especially if I'm just over a month pregnant now, like the test indicated. Besides, I would rather tell our families in person anyway. Unless you want me to tell my family before we get there?" The evil gleam in my eye was hard to hide and both men looked quite uncomfortable suddenly. The shook their heads. "No? Okay. We can tell your families over Skype if you want, but I thought it would be a nice surprise to reveal in person. Mark, I think your Mom would really rather hear it in person, so she can fuss over us, unless you want her to fly out early. I think she would do it, if we told her. Jack, your family seems really nice, but you are the youngest and I know you have a bunch of nieces and nephews, so I doubt the news is going to rock anybodies world too much. I think they'll all be happy for us, but I doubt it will be that big a deal. Am I right?"

Jack looked thoughtful. "Probably, mostly. I think Ma will make a big fuss over ye. My sisters and brothers will be happy and want details. Pa will be happy. My nieces and nephews will be excited. But mainly I think yer absolutely right."

I smiled. It was good to be right. I went back to my internet search. Jack walked over to look at what I was doing, since it was pretty clear I wasn't playing a game or editing. His eyebrows rose and he looked surprised. "Baby doctors? Already? But ye just found out!" 

I looked up at him. "Yes, now I want to find a good doctor and get things checked out and confirmed. I also don't know how long it will be until I can get an appointment with a decent doctor, so I need to check the local doctors out until I find one that looks like a good fit." Smiled a little and absentmindedly rubbed my lower tummy. "Only the best for my baby." 

Mark grinned. "Well, that was fast. Jack and I were afraid you were unhappy about the situation. We have been talking about it and trying to figure out ways to make this easier for you, but nothing was coming to mind. I guess you just needed time to process things?"

I nodded. "It was too much at once. I felt like everything was going too fast and I was completely numb. I feel better now, and actually I'm a little excited. Yeah, the timing could have been better, but it also could have been worse. Imagine if I had developed the heart issues I had a few months ago right after finding out I was pregnant. That would have been very bad. Now, do you two want to help me research doctors, or do you want to figure out what to do for dinner. I don't feel like cooking, I haven't eaten since breakfast, and I am not moving until I am satisfied I have found a few doctors to call and try to schedule an appointment, just in case one of them can't see me for a while."

Jack, who was still standing behind me, reached down and gave me a gentle hug and a sweet kiss on the cheek. "Ye stay here. I'll go take care of supper. Ye want ta make sure ye eat right, especially now." I smiled at him. Mark followed him into the kitchen and I heard occasional snippets of conversation and curses when they dropped things, burned themselves, or made a mistake. I continued my search until I had three solid leads. I looked at the time. Four thirty. I called the first number on my list. When I got through to the office and explained my situation, the receptionist offered an appointment for Friday. Since it was already Tuesday, I quickly accepted, thanking her, and hanging up the phone. I closed my browser and set my laptop aside. Time to go check on the guys. I stood up and stretched, feeling a little stiff from sitting in the same position for so long while I searched, and headed in to find what looked like an explosion of flour and tomato sauce. I goggled and started giggling helplessly. Jack was covered in flour and glaring at Mark, who was covered in tomato sauce. Mark was trying to hide the pan on the floor that the sauce had apparently started in, but all he was really doing was spreading the mess around. 

I reached over and grabbed the paper towels off the counter behind Mark and handed them to him. I motioned to Jack to follow me, and he stepped away from the mess. "Mark, you clean up the sauce. Jack, you go get some clean clothes, wash your face, and brush the flour out of your hair. I going to order some Chinese takeout. I know what you usually order. Mark when you finish cleaning up the kitchen, you might want to take a shower. You have what looks like about half a can of sauce on your head." I giggled again and sashayed out of the room. Jack followed me, then past me and headed back to the bedroom to get cleaned up. I grabbed the menu for our favorite delivery place and called in an order. They told me it would be about half and hour, which I said was fine. I hung up and walked in the kitchen, sitting at the island watching Mark clean the mess. When he looked up and saw me he smiled crookedly. "I'm just enjoying the view." I said with a wink. 

Mark laughed. He was bent over, his butt up in the air as he scrubbed the lower part of the oven. "Yeah, my saucy butt dance." 

I laughed and groaned. Suddenly, the smile was gone from my face. I could smell something disgusting and I knew I was going to be sick. I made a mad dash for the bathroom, with my hand over my face. I just made it to the toilet when I started vomiting. Jack had seen my expression as he was headed down the hall toward me, so he came in to the bathroom, holding my hair as I was sick, and rubbing my back. I rested my head on the side of the toilet weakly after I finished throwing up for the moment. "Are ye okay, love? What happened?" 

Mark came running up. "Is she okay, Jack? She was talking and laughing with me in the kitchen when suddenly she ran out like someone was chasing her with a gun." 

I looked up at them. "Can one of you please get me a cool wash cloth please? I think maybe this is the beginning of morning sickness. I suddenly smelled something that was overpoweringly foul and I couldn't stop the nausea. It smelled like something was dead." Jack handed me a washcloth, which I used to wipe my forehead and face off. Then I set it on the back of my neck. I stayed where I was because I could feel my stomach rolling. After a few minutes I felt okay again, so I stood up, walking out of the bathroom. Jack and Mark had been standing in the hall, so they followed me like puppies as I slowly trudged to the couch. I grabbed my violet fluffy blanket and curled up, feeling pretty lousy still. Mark was looking at me, clearly trying to figure out how to help, when the front door was knocked on. Jack, who had just sat down next to me to cuddle, looked at Mark. Mark nodded and headed over to answer the door. It was Dan. He took one look at Mark's worried face and pushed past him. When he saw me, cuddled up under my blanket, looking pale, drawn, tired, and ill, he stopped. Jack was holding me in his lap, stroking my hair and back. 

Dan finally just said, "Are you all right [y/n]? I came over to see if I could mooch some food, and Mark looked really worried, so I had to check on you. You look like hell, girl. What's wrong?"

Without going into detail, I simply stated, "I'm sick. I just threw up. I HATE throwing up."

Jack held me a little closer, kissing the side of my head. "Shh, love, it's okay. I'll take care of ye." His voice was so soothing, I shut my eyes, just leaning into his embrace. 

Dan was clearly not satisfied. "Aren't you afraid you'll get sick Jack?"

I opened my eyes and looked at Jack, pleading with my eyes for him to keep quiet at least for now. "Nah. And if I do, she can take care o' me." He leaned into my head again, whispering directly into my ear, "I'm not telling anyone until we have a doctor's confirmation, even if ye are puking constantly. Now relax." I made a face at him and he laughed. 

Dan rolled his eyes. "Damn. I guess food is out of the question then. I guess I'll have to go shopping."

Mark laughed. "Come on Danny. I think we have some leftovers you can steal." Mark lead Dan into the kitchen. Dan came back out a few minutes later with a few plastic containers of food and waved goodbye. I waved back feebly and I was once again alone with my lovers. A few minutes later, Mark once again had to answer the door as the food I had ordered arrived. Mark set it out in the kitchen. I wasn't feeling nauseous any longer, and I was starving, so I quickly went in to grab a plate, much to Jack and Mark's shock and amusement. I loaded my plate up with food, getting extra veggies, which for some reason seemed extra appealing, grabbed a bottle of sparkling water from the fridge, and walked back to the living room. I sat down next to the guys and this time Mark pulled me into his lap. I cuddled him as I ate, taking my time and eating slowly, in hopes of avoiding stomach upset. After I ate as much as I wanted, I set my plate on the table and curled into a ball under the blanket, my head on Mark's shoulder and my feet in Jack's lap. We were watching some TV and before long I fell asleep. I never felt either man get up or carry me back to bed, but the next time I woke up I was in my bed, nestled next to Jack, with Mark on the other side, arm thrown over all of us.


	34. Morning Sickness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The test results were positive and you are pretty sure you're pregnant. Now what?

I woke up the next morning feeling extremely sick. I ran for the bathroom and threw up for ten minutes straight. I felt disgusting after that, so I hopped in the shower and washed my hair. When I got out I wrapped up in towels and threw up again. I rinsed my mouth out and headed into the bedroom to find some comfortable clothes. I dressed in a denim skirt and loose, flowing top. They were super comfortable and not tight, so if I felt sick, they wouldn't be a problem. I dried and brushed my hair, putting up in a braided bun. Then I headed into the kitchen to make a batch of mint tea. Jack and Mark were drinking coffee when got out there, and the smell of the coffee sent me back to the bathroom at a run. After I once again threw up a few times, I used some mouthwash and brushed my teeth to rid myself of the taste of bile. This was brutal. I walked back into the living room and called out to the men in the kitchen. "Hey guys? Can one of you please make me a pot of mint tea? I'm hoping it will help my stomach. The smell of the coffee got me pretty badly, otherwise I would have done it myself."

Jack volunteered and I could hear the sounds of the tea being made. A few minutes later, Jack appeared with a large to go mug. "Here ye go love. I added a little honey ta it ta help yer throat too. I know when I'm sick, my throat always hurts." 

"Thanks Jack." I took a small sip. "It's perfect." I drank the tea. When I finished, I glanced at my phone. It was eight o'clock, time to leave for work. I grabbed my keys, purse, and laptop, heading for the door. Jack and Mark both looked at me surprised.

"You're coming in today, babe?" Mark looked at me skeptically. "What about your stomach?"

"Mark, I'm going to be throwing up a lot for a while. I can't keep calling out sick every time it happens. Besides, so far it's just been food smells and when I first woke up that made me sick. I'll take it easy and just work in my office on editing today if it makes you feel better. Or I will after I record with Jack for a little while." I smiled sweetly at him. "Thanks for worrying. I'll be fine." I turned to Jack. "Any video plans for the day? I have a few ideas, if you don't have anything on the roster."

Jack eyed me for a minute, clearly having an internal debate about saying something. Finally, he shrugged and walked outside. "I was going ta call Felix and wish him happy birthday. I also wanted to see if he was up for a collab or two. I can do that later though, if ye want ta record with me."

I rolled my eyes. "Jack, I can just join the two of you. I'll record on my setup, while you record for yours. Then we can post both of them at different times. I bet Mark can even get in on the session." 

Mark grinned at me. "Why thank you, milady, for remembering me. I would be honored." 

"I'm surrounded by silly men. Someone save me!" I said this to the open air, but not very loudly. The crack of laughter that was heard surprised us all. I spun around to see Arin and Dan coming out of their apartments. They were both laughing. I blushed. "You weren't supposed to hear that."

Arin grinned at me. "Well, we were going to offer to save you, but it sounds like you don't really need it."

I rolled my eyes for what felt the fiftieth time that morning. "I'm fine. Mark and Jack are just being goofy."

Dan smirked. "What else is new? Oh hey, you look a lot better than you did last night. Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah. I just needed some rest I guess. Sometimes I get like that after a panic attack and I had one earlier in the day yesterday, which is what you saw the end of when you came in the first time. I just hate it when it happens. Now, Arin, what can we bring to the Halloween party?"

Jack leaned close to me and whispered, "Smooth conversation change."

Arin raised his eyebrows and looked at me. "Uh, you'll have to check with Suzy, but as far as I know you just need to show up. Oh, and wear costumes."

"Thanks Arin. Bye Dan. Bye Arin." I unlocked my car and started to climb in. 

Mark stopped me. "[Y/n], what if you get sick again?" He said this in a whisper, so Dan and Arin couldn't hear. I glanced their way anyway, but they were getting in their own cars to head out. I handed Mark the keys and walked around to the passengers side. Mark drove us in and we parked in my normal spot. 

I headed up stairs and dropped my things off in my office, wheeled my portable desk into the recording studio, and sat down. I was still feeling vaguely sick, but it was certainly manageable at this point. Jack came in after I was all setup and raised an eyebrow. "How did ye get in here so fast? All I did was stop ta grab a coffee from tha break room, since ye didn't make any in yer office. And don't worry, I am using a cup with a lid, so ye shouldn't be able ta smell it. I remember what my sister-in-law went through with her first pregnancy, and I don't want ta make things any harder for ye than they need ta be." Jack was watching me the whole time he said this, and I smiled at him. Just then I heard something behind us that made me freeze up and sent a chill down my back. 

"[Y/n], did he just imply you are pregnant?" Vicki was standing in the studio doorway. All the blood ran out of Jack's face and my own when we saw her. 

"Well, it's possible. I was sick this morning and last night, but it seems to be triggered by smells, at least so far. I have a doctors appointment Friday to confirm things, but I'm already fairly sure. I promise, I will still get my work done and on time for as long as I can work." 

Vicki just looked at me. "That wasn't my worry, dear. You're quite the workhorse and I doubt a baby is going to change that. Now, my real question is probably none of my business, but I have to ask anyway. Who's the father?" 

I closed my eyes as the blush ran up my face. "I'm not answering that." I opened my eyes, glancing at Jack, who was busy logging in to his computer, studiously ignoring the conversation. Vicki tried to stare me down, but since we hadn't told anyone at work, outside our circle of friends, about our relationship, I had no problem keeping the secret. Finally, Vicki gave up, defeated. 

"Okay, fine. I expect you to take it easier though. You are working too hard anyway. If you need extra time off, it won't be a problem. On that note however, we have to make a slight schedule change. The filming is going to run long on the TV show, so we are shifting everyone's breaks. All the breaks will now start the first week of December. To make up for it, everyone is getting an extra week of paid time off, including the crews. So you won't have to come in until the third week of January. Sorry for the short notice, but It seemed like the only way to get things done. Oh, and you will all still have a five day break for Thanksgiving, but I need everyone back here on the Sunday after instead of Monday. Too many people had to fly out for family obligations and we really need the extra day, so we don't have to start cutting into December to make our deadlines. That's what I was coming in to tell you, when I overheard Jack over there. I'm emailing everyone today, but I'm also telling our department heads and talent, which both of you are. " Vicki paused for a minute and came over to me. "Seriously, if you need more time off, let me know. You are so far ahead on the editing front, it won't be a problem and your department is running super smoothly. If you had to manage them from home, I would look the other way." She smiled and whispered, "Now, tell me the truth, do I know the father of the baby? I have a few suspicions, but you are so closed mouthed..." I just looked at her. "Yeah, didn't think you'd share." She resumed her normal volume. "By the way, the show has been greenlit for a second season, even though the first two episodes just aired. So, yeah, job security. And they are adding a few more faces to the talent pool, including a few female ones. I'm supposed to ask you, [y/n], if you would be interested. So how about it?"

I stopped what I was doing and stared at her. "What? But my channel is still so tiny! Why was I picked?"

Vicki grinned. "Well, three factors really. One, you already are here, know the other people, crew, building, and hours we keep. Two, your channel is getting a lot of attention and is already tied into the show in several ways. And three, you have a quickly growing fan base, who are very loyal. We have already gotten fan mail about putting you on as a guest, and wanted to squeeze you into the season finale, if you don't mind. It would be a good way to launch the new season and still let you get the extra time in front of the screen."

Jack looked excited. "Ooo, we would get ta work together even more. I like it. I'm going ta go get Mark. He should hear this." With that he stepped out of the recording office into the center booth and over to the other studio. I rolled my eyes. 

Vicki looked speculative. "You know, if I didn't know how close those two men were, I would swear he had a thing for you. Mark seems really interested in you too." She was watching my face extra closely, hoping for a reaction. I kept my face still, other than to raise my eyebrows at her. She sighed, frustrated. "I hate mysteries! Okay fine, back to the issue at hand. Do you want to be on next season?" 

"Probably. But won't my being pregnant mess things up?" 

"Well, you're being added at the end of this season, we can just write it in as part of the show. We know before you ever set foot behind the camera, so it should be fine."

"Who else is being added? I'm just curious. I don't know that many other YouTube personalities apart from the ones on the show and the Game Grumps. And I only met them because Dan, Arin, and Suzy live in the same apartment building as I do."

"I think I can safely provide that information to you, but first I need to double check it's okay. Right now the cast additions are on a need to know basis, but since you are part of that group and a major part of the show already, you need to know. I will get the list to you by the end of the day. There are a few names I can tell you now. Actually, I need your help with one of them." She looked up as Mark and Jack walked in. "Um, theirs too."

Jack grinned at us. "So, has she agreed yet? And what do ye need help with?"

Vicki looked startled. "I didn't think you'd hear that. Well, I think she is going to do it, but she wanted to check a few things. She asked who else was going to be added to the show, and that's where the three of you come in. I know you talk and collaborate with fellow YouTubers. I was wondering if a few of the invites could be extended through you? I mean they would get something official as well, but first we wanted to see if they would be interested. Like bringing Cinnamon Toast Ken back. And um, PewDiePie. The producers really want to get him involved if we can."

I chuckled. "Of course they do." I winked at Jack and Mark. "Actually, we are planning on doing a collab this morning if he's up for it, since it's his birthday and all."

Vicki looked stunned. "Today? You could ask today?" Jack nodded. "Do you think he'll say yes?"

Mark looked at Jack out of the corner of his eyes. "Maybe. He's pretty busy, so he might turn it down. But then again, I thought Jack might turn it down too."

I cleared my throat. "Are you planning on including Marzia in the show? That might be enough to sway him, if he's on the fence."

Vicki looked startled. "Actually, she is on the list. Do you think it will help?" I rolled my eyes and nodded. Jack and Mark were nodding emphatically as well. "Okay, then I will leave you to it. Good luck and let me know how it goes. Oh and congratulations, [y/n]." With that she walked out of the studio and back to her office.

Mark looked at me, shocked. "You told her something?"

I laughed. "No, Mark. I think she was talking about being invited to join the show. Although she did overhear Jack mention pregnancy and figured it out. She was asking a lot of questions about who the father is, but I dodged them all. I think she thinks you and Jack are an item though." I waggled my eyebrows suggestively and whispered, "Should I be jealous?"

Both men were startled into laughter. Jack regained his composure first. "Okay, enough we have work ta do. Especially, if we're going ta talk Felix into joining this circus. Asking about Marzia was a good plan, though. If we can get her on board, it should make things easier." Jack walked over to his desk and opened his Skype program up. He looked at his contacts and commented, "Okay Felix and Ken are both online. Mark, go call Ken, I'll send you both a group invite in a minute. I'm going ta call Felix." We nodded and I sat back. My stomach rolled a little and I put my hand on it, trying to keep things from boiling over. Jack saw me and gave me a sympathetic look. "Ye okay?"

I nodded, but didn't say anything just yet. I closed my eyes and willed my stomach to calm down. It actually seemed to work, because by the time I opened my eye and saw Skype was ringing on my computer, I was all right. I joined the call, which now included Mark, Ken, Felix, Jack, and myself. I wished Felix a happy birthday, which Jack and Mark quickly chorused. We all just chatted for a little while. Felix looked at me and winked. "So, miss up-and-coming YouTuber, how's life been treating you these days? Any interesting developments?" 

I paled slightly. "Well, yes actually, a few. Hey would you go get Marzia for a second? She should be in on this conversation." While he left, I tried to get my stomach under control again. It felt like suddenly high tide had rolled into me. My stomach was absolutely churning. Mark caught my eye. He ran over with a trash can, setting it down just in time. I had muted my audio and ducked out of sight, but I knew Ken probably heard me through Mark's and Jack's calls. I rested my head on my knees for a minute before sitting back up and rejoining the call. Felix was back, along with Marzia, and from their faces, they had seen and heard what had just happened too. I grimaced internally and unmuted my mic. "Sorry about that. Now, Ken, Marzia, Felix, we were asked to extend an invitation to the three of you." I took a breath, willing my stomach into behaving. 

Jack jumped in to the rescue. "Yeah, our boss came in ta talk ta us this morning. She wanted us ta ask if ye would be interested in joining our TV show, as new cast member for season two. What do ye think?"

Marzia looked at Felix. Then she asked "Me, too? Or just Felix?"

I answered. "You too. I'm officially added as well. I'm hoping they will invite Molly to join us. Our boss said they wanted to add women next season." I looked at Ken. "I'm not sure about Mary, but I can go ask." 

Ken grinned. "Go make one of your boyfriends ask. You're clearly sick." Jack laughed and Mark crossed his arms. I wasn't too upset, but I blushed a little anyway. 

Felix chimed in. "Yeah. Ken's right. What are the two gallant gentlemen you are dating doing letting you come to work sick?" He was looking at Jack and Mark. I saw Marzia eyeing me suspiciously. She leaned over and whispered something to Felix. He grinned. "Oh ho! Marzia may have guessed a secret! Maybe that's why they let you come in. She thinks you might be knocked up." Marzia whacked his arm.

"Clod. I never said it that way." She looked at me. I had gone dead pale. Jack and Mark had gotten pale too, and stayed rooted to the spot. Ken looked interested. "I guessed didn't, I [y/n]? Your face is sure looking like I did."

I finally was able to move after several seconds, though it seemed far longer. "Yes, I think so. Um, I have a doctor's appointment on Friday to confirm it." I looked over the camera at Jack and Mark. "How is it everyone I've seen this morning who was a woman figured it out in under a minute? Do I have a sign on my forehead or something?"

Marzia laughed. "It's the throwing up all over the place that gives it away. So how far along are you?"

I smiled lopsidedly. "About a month and a half, I think. I was going to wait to tell people until I was further along, but at this rate, everyone is going to know by the end of the week."

Felix grinned at us. "Well, congratulations to the three of you." 

Marzia grinned as well. "So, who exactly is the father? Or do you not know for certain?" I put my head down and groaned. Jack and Mark were blushing so hard I half expected them to glow in the dark. This was all the answer our friends needed. The laughter increased. 

Ken asked the next question. "Are you guys happy about it? I mean, were you planning on having kids, or had you even talked about it?"

Mark spoke up, for the first time in a while. He was still blushing as bright as his hair. "Well, we weren't planning this. We hadn't really discussed it until yesterday when we um, figured this out. Jack and I had both said we always wanted kids someday, but it was a surprise. I think [y/n] is okay with it, but it really threw her for a loop at first. She had two panic attacks. It really sucked."

I looked over at him. "Yeah. Yesterday was not fun. Then the morning sickness started when the guys were making dinner. Or should I say, making a mess instead of dinner." The guys looked at the floor, sheepishly. I smirked. "I went in to check on them and it looked like an explosion had happened in my kitchen. I was making Mark clean up his part of it, when the smell made me sick. Since then, smells have been really getting to me. Oh, and the occasional bout of random overwhelming sickness." I took a deep breath. "But that's another story. So anyway, back to the question at hand. Are you guys in for the TV show?" I looked back at Jack and Mark. "Hey, Mark, go ask Vicki if Mary is going to be invited to be on next season please. Thanks babe."

Mark grinned and went to go ask, stopping to give me a quick kiss on the cheek as he walked past me. Felix and Marzia made little 'Aww!' noises and Ken called out "Too much cuteness! Save yourselves!" I stuck my tongue out at him.

Jack laughed and came over so he was sitting next to me, giving me a hug. He stayed there, sitting in on my camera instead of going back to his own. "That's better. Less echo from multiple open lines." He had muted his Skype call before he came over. I smiled at him.

When Mark came back he dragged his chair over too. "Well, our boss is going to get back to you. Mary was one of the names discussed, but no decision had been made yet." Ken nodded thoughtfully. Suddenly, the door opened again. Vicki walked in, slightly startled to see all of us gathered around one computer.

"What are all of you doing over here? Why aren't you on your separate computers? Is there a problem?"

I looked at her. "No. There was just a lot of echo on the call. With the other calls muted and all of us at one screen the call quality is a lot better. What's up?"

Vicki looked nervous as she stepped in front of the camera. "Hello. I'm their boss, Vicki. I am extending formal invitations to all of you to join the cast of season two, starting in the new year. Mr. Morrison, we will be extending an invitation to Mary as well, so if you want to relay that message that would be fine. I just wanted to see if any of you had any questions or any decisions I could present to my bosses today."

Felix and Marzia shared a look. Then they shrugged. Felix answered for the two of them. "Sure, I guess. It's not like it's forever or anything. And it will be nice to see my bros in person. Conventions are going to be a bit easier too, probably."

Jack grinned. "Yeah, definitely. Less jet lag too."

"Okay. We're in. Ken?"

Ken was doing something on his phone. "What? Oh sorry. Yeah, Mary and I are in too. She seems excited."

I grinned. "Text messaging while on Skype, huh? Nice. Tell Mary we say hi!"

Ken smiled sheepishly. "Will do. Now are we gonna record any games, or was this just a social call?"

Mark yelled "GAMES!!!" right in my ear, making me wince and draw closer to Jack. Vicki shook her head and left. Her part of this was done and we had work to do. Mark had put the nasty trash can out in the hall, so he just rolled his chair out of the room, grabbing his laptop as he went, headed back to his recording setup. He was back onscreen in under a minute. 

Jack looked at me. "Do ye want ta record with me, or have me record separate videos like we initially decided this morning?"

"I think we should stick with the separate videos for now, Jack. Also, that way if I get sick, I can stop my recording and leave. I can fix anything else in the edit, if I really have too." I kissed his forehead and he rolled his chair back to his desk. He rejoined the call and we started discussing what game to play. Marzia excused herself. I called "Bye Marzia! Nice to see you." as she left. She turned around, smiled, and waved before continuing out of the room. We settled on a few games, did our intros and started playing. After about an hour of recording, Felix had to go. Ken decided to disconnect as well, so we ended the Skype session and I rolled my setup back to my office. Once I was back in there, I sat down at my regular desk and got to work editing. I had to make a few runs to the bathroom to be sick, but mostly I just kept working. At lunch time, I forced myself to eat a salad from the cafe across the street and eat a few crackers. They stayed down reasonably well, and I decided I would look for some morning sickness relief ideas this afternoon. While the guys were here eating, I grabbed my laptop and sat down next to them. They had grabbed food that didn't have a ton of smell, some sandwiches, salads, and desserts. I was grateful. When they had to leave to go film, I was yawning. Jack leaned over and kissed me, making me promise to take a short nap. I nodded agreement and started looking for ideas online. I found several people recommending something called 'Preggie Pops'. I checked and several local stores had them. I would stop on the way home and pick some up. I had finished editing Jack's videos this morning and finished all but one of Mark's. I really was feeling drained, so I grabbed my throw blanket off the back of the couch and laid down. I fell asleep almost immediately. I awoke to the sound of Wade's voice. I opened my eyes and saw Jack, Mark, and Bob looking at me. Mark was trying to shush Wade. He gave up when he saw me sit up.

"What time is it? Are you guys on break already? I only meant to take a quick nap." I rubbed my eyes sleepily. At least the nausea was gone, for now.

Bob looked amused. "Um, no. We just finished for the day. Mark saw you were napping when we headed this way earlier, so we just used Jack's office. It's time to go home now."

I blinked. I had slept the entire afternoon away. Crap! "Oh, okay. Give me a minute to pack up my stuff guys, then we can head out. Sorry for being such a party pooper today." I stretched and stood up. As soon as I did, a wave of nausea struck with terrible force. I made a run for the bathroom and just made it. Once I was finished, I rested my head on the side of the toilet and gathered my strength. It had been a horrible day. After a minute, I got up, slowly, and cleaned up. I brushed my teeth, with the toothbrush I kept in here for emergencies, used some mouthwash, straightened my hair, and grabbed my purse. I went out to were the guys all looked worried. "Sorry about that. Now, Let me just shut my computer down and grab my laptop." I walked over and found my computer was already shut down. I looked up, confused.

Jack grinned. "I saw tha videos were done rendering, so I saved them ta tha queue and shut everything down. It was while ye were in tha bathroom. I got yer laptop here, now come on. Let's get ye home."

Mark came over and wrapped an arm around me. "Yeah, babe. You look like you need some pampering, so Jackaboy and I will take care of everything. You're just going to have to let us. " He kissed my shoulder, making me shiver slightly, and pulled me in a little closer. I didn't resist, loving the support and warmth. He grinned as I snuggled in closer. "Comfy?" I smiled up at him, nodding. "Then let's go." We walked down to my car, Wade and Bob leaving to go to theirs. I climbed into the back seat when Mark insisted on driving. 

Jack climbed in next to me, so I cuddled into him. I was feeling cold today for some reason. I looked up at Mark. "Hey, Markimoo, can we please make one stop on the way home? I have really been having a lot of stomach issues, so I went online to look for possible ideas to help. There is a product called 'Preggie Pops' that is supposed to help relieve morning sickness. Can we stop and pick some up? I'm sending a list of stores that have them to your phone." I copied the info and sent him the text. 

Mark smiled back at me in the mirror. "Sure sweetheart. Anything you want. Now sit back and relax, okay? That's my sweet girl. Snuggle with our handsome boyfriend for me." I put my phone away and cuddled even closer to Jack. "Good girl." 

Jack wrapped his arms around me and I closed my eyes, just enjoying the moment. I fell asleep at some point, because the next thing I knew, we were home, and I was being set down on the couch. Jack had carried me in. Mark sat down next to me. He smiled when he saw my eyes flutter open. I moved to cuddle into him, shivering a little. Jack raised an eyebrow. "Darlin' are ye cold? Ye were tucked in real close ta me in the car. Not that I'm complaining." 

"Yes. I'm freezing. I have been almost all day. Hand me my blanket please." Jack handed me my fuzzy blanket. I wrapped up like a swaddled baby, ending up cocooned from head to toe. I scooted as close to Mark as I could get. Jack grinned and grabbed a few extra blankets. I added blankets to make it more of a blanket burrito instead of a cocoon and shifted into a more comfortable position. Mark laughed when I was finally settled. "Ah, warm at last." I smiled sleepily.

Mark handed me the lollipops. "I got a bunch of them, and different flavors, so you can decide what you like if they work. Are you hungry?" I nodded. He smiled again. "Jack and I will go get some dinner for you then okay? Don't move." He leaned over and kissed me. I smiled, kissed him back, and stuck a raspberry lollipop in my mouth. Jack grinned and leaned over to kiss my cheek.

The guys walked into the kitchen and I turned on the TV, finding something mindless to watch on Netflix. I wasn't really paying attention, but it was soothing. I settled back and let my mind wander. The lollipop seemed to help, because I didn't feel any nausea for the rest of the evening. I daydreamed about what my baby might look like all evening. Mark noticed I wasn't paying attention and asked what I was thinking about. "The baby. I was wondering what they might look like. And I was wondering if it's going to be a little boy or a little girl. It's more fun to think about now that I'm not feeling so awful or panicked. Thank you, both of you, for taking such good care of me." Jack and Mark were sitting next to me and both reached over to hug me.

Jack spoke for both men, with what he said next. "Love, we are responsible for why ye feel sick. And ye take care of us when we are hurt or sick. Now, shut up and snuggle with us." I did, smiling. Jack got a far away look in his eyes. "This baby is going ta be amazing. I can't wait ta meet them. I'm super excited about this." Mark nodded. We all sat quietly, just thinking about our baby. My hands were resting on the space about were the baby would be, a gesture I was finding myself doing instinctively ever since I had come to terms with the fact I was pregnant. The men couldn't see where my hands were, so they didn't notice. I was looking forward to the day when I would be able to see an image of what the tiny human I was growing would look like. The morning sickness and fatigue of the day caught up with me and I was soon asleep again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this is my life right now. I woke up yesterday, took my medication, started writing. I had to go do a few errands, came home, took more meds, resumed writing. Wrote until way late, adding a new fiction to my ever growing list of things on the site (it's the promised Dan X Reader, titled 'Dancing to the Beat of the Rain'), read a few other fictions, and feel asleep thinking about this chapter. When I woke up this morning, Most of the chapter was completed in my head. Apparently, I was dreaming about how things are going in my books. XD 
> 
> Oh, and I also dreamt about my a couple of my other works, so expect updates soonish. 
> 
> And now to quote one of my all time favorite authors:  
> "I'm not a fast writer, I'm not a slow writer. I'm a half-fast writer." --Robert Aspirin  
> (In the intro to one of his MYTH Inc series books. I also love his misquotes at the beginnings of each chapter in the series.)


	35. Doctor's Visit Number One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a rough few days the doctor does indeed confirm you are pregnant.

The next day was pretty much the same. I was feeling sick a lot, but the lollipops helped, so I only threw up first thing in the morning. I wore a sweater for the first time since moving to LA, and I still felt chilly all day. I was tired. I took a nap, this time managing to finish all my editing before falling asleep. And despite the upset stomach, I was hungry. I got through the day with no major meltdowns or traumas. I fell asleep early on the couch again. At least that night I had made it into pajamas before I fizzled out.

Friday I awoke to extreme nausea, far worse than anything I had experienced yet. It was so bad, I couldn't even move from the toilet for nearly an hour. When my stomach finally calmed enough for me to leave the bathroom, I got dressed in my most comfortable clothes, a stretchy, baggy sweater dress and a pair of flat shoes. I pulled my hair back in a ponytail. I decided to call off sick from work and told Mark and Jack I was staying home until my doctor's appointment. Jack told me he would meet me at the doctor's office if I wanted, since he was so far ahead on his videos, but I told him I would be fine. I had my lollipops, some chews, and something called lollidrops, all made to combat morning sickness. They seemed to help quite a bit. Some of them even had extra vitamins to help boost my energy. I settled in on the couch with my laptop and did some editing until it was time to go to the doctor. Doctor Sara Duval was my new doctor and her office was half an hour from my apartment. I left an hour early, so even if the traffic was bad I would be on time, and stopped on the way to get a small chocolate milkshake, in place of breakfast. When I got to her office, I spent twenty or so minutes filling in the new patient paperwork, including medical history. When I turned it in, the receptionist had me sit down to wait for the nurse. I looked around the waiting room as I waited. It was painted a very lovely shade of pale grey, with a vivid midnight blue trim and soft white accents. The carpet was a smoky grey plush. The chairs were overstuffed armchairs, soft and comfortable, but not too difficult to get up from, and ranged in colors from blues and greens, to a variety of purples and shades of grey. There were some paintings on the walls, and the overall impression of the room was comfortable and inviting. Everything was also somehow soothing. I sat down in the chair closest to the door to the back area, waiting. The nurse soon came to get me. As she led me back to the examination room, she took my height, weight, blood pressure, pulse rate, and had me leave a urine sample. She had me climb up on the exam table in the room and told me the doctor would be in in just a moment. Since I was here to confirm my pregnancy, she also took a small blood sample before she left, promising the onsite lab would have the results back before I left. I nodded as she left, feeling another wave of queasy stomach coming on. I also felt dizzy and a little faint, two new symptoms. I was determined to tell the doctor about all of them, just double checking that everything was normal. When Doctor Duval came in, she immediately put me at ease. "Hi there. You must be [y/n], right? Call me Doctor Sara. So I see you are here to confirm a pregnancy. Ooh, so exciting. Now I would like to do a pelvic exam and ask you some questions while we wait for the lab work to get back. Also, if you have any questions, feel free to ask them at any point. But first, are you having any symptoms or did you just come in because your period is late?" 

I blushed. "Actually, my period was later than I realized so I took some home pregnancy tests. Four of them. They were all positive. That was on Tuesday. Since then, I have been having morning sickness everyday. Well, I say morning sickness, but it's really all day long sickness. And I'm cold and tired most of the time, which is strange because I am usually a ball of energy and never cold. I was dizzy and lightheaded a little bit today as well."

Doctor Sara made some notes on her tablet. "Okay. Dizzy, lightheaded, cold, tired, and nauseous. All good indicators of pregnancy. How late is your period exactly?" 

"Usually, I get my period around the tenth of the month. This is the twenty sixth."

Doctor Sara nodded, making more notes. "Alright then, if you will just lay back, I want to feel your abdomen. Don't worry, it shouldn't hurt. I am just checking the size of your uterus, to see if I can feel anything unusual. At this early stage, I doubt it, but if you were pregnant with more than one fetus, or if there were certain other signs, we could run further tests. Please tell me right away if anything hurts. I have caught three extra-uterine pregnancies with this test alone, and was able to save the pregnancy and the mother. Ready? Then here we go." She began gently palpating my lower abdomen. She made a face of concentration as she worked. "Hmm. From what you said, you should be less than eight weeks along, but your uterus already feels a little larger than that." I looked up, worried. "No, no. Don't be concerned just yet. It could just be the angle of your pelvis, the tilt of your uterus, or you could be carrying more than one little passenger in there. So do you have a family history of multiples, like twins?" 

"Well, actually yes. My grandfather is a twin, and so are five of his cousins. His grandmother was also a twin. I was always told it ran in the family and skipped two generations. So I guess that would be my generation..."

Doctor Sara smiled. "Well, without lab results, I can pretty much guarantee you are pregnant, so congratulations! I am going to schedule you for another exam in a few weeks, to preform an ultrasound to see the fetus, but if you don't mind, we can do one today, to try to see the embryonic sac. That would definitely tell us more about your pregnancy."

"Okay. That sounds like a good idea. I am curious though, doctor. You keep saying if there is more than one. Is that likely?"

Doctor Sara chuckled. "Normally, I'd say no, but with the strength of the symptoms you're having and the size of your uterus, I am going to have to say yes, it seems very likely to me. Now, what about the father. Do multiples run in his family too?"

I blushed. "I'm not sure. I haven't asked, and the situation is a little complicated."

"It always is. Now, I'm going to need you to go change into this gown and leave the underwear off please. When you're ready come on back over and lay back on the table. I'm going to heat the gel up a little and get the machine ready." I jumped down and ran behind the little screen, changing clothes in a flash. I came back out and laid down just a minute later, making the doctor chuckle again. "That was fast. I take it you are eager to see if we can spot something?" I nodded again. "Then let's get started. Okay, here's the gel, it shouldn't be too cold now." Doctor Sara put a good sized dollop of gel on my abdomen, spreading it out with the ultrasound wand. A few seconds later, a black, grey, and white image appeared on the screen. Doctor Sara smiled and pointed. "There we go. That's an embryonic sac all right. Hmm. Let me see. I think I can just hear a heartbeat." She made some adjustments and a faint noise came out of the speakers. It didn't sound like a heartbeat to me, but I didn't know exactly what I should be hearing either. Suddenly Doctor Sara smiled. "Actually, that's multiple heartbeats. And that embryonic sac looks like it's got two little dots in it, doesn't it?" She pointed to the screen. I squinted and suddenly I saw it. Two dots. Twins. I nodded, tears forming in my eyes. "Well, that confirms my guess. Let's just see if we can see anything from a better angle, shall we? Hang on a minute, what's that? A second embryonic sac?" My eyes widened. Three babies? What?! Doctor Sara made some adjustments again and moved until she found a better angle to see. "Yup, that's definitely a second sac. And it looks like it's got two little beans in it too." She looked down at me. "You know what this means, right?" 

I was stunned. My face felt numb again. "I... I think so. Can you tell me, just to be sure?" 

"You're having quadruplets. Four babies. Two sets of identical twins to be exact. That's why there are two sacs with two dots each." 

I suddenly was swamped with feelings I couldn't describe. Fear, panic, joy, and amazement warred with each other, making me dizzy. The doctor wiped the gel off her equipment and my stomach. "This must seem like a huge thing to deal with. Are you okay, or do you need me to call someone for you?" I took a deep breath to answer and the room went black.

When I came to, Doctor Sara looked concerned. "Well, you're back with me again. Good. Has that happened before?" 

I shook my head, then hesitated. "Um, wait. It did happen once before, right after I found out I was pregnant. Is that bad?"

The doctor sighed. "It's not uncommon to feel dizzy, lightheaded, or even faint a few times in early pregnancy. Especially of your emotions are running high, which I'm going to assume is the case right now. I was going to ask you this before, but you were a little out of it. Do you want a copy of the ultrasound images? I can still print a couple of them out for you." I nodded, smiling. Jack and Mark were in for a big surprise tonight! "Now, [y/n], I want you to do some things. I am giving you a prescription for prenatal vitamins. Start them today. I'm also giving you a prescription to help with the nausea. It won't hurt the babies, and it should make your life a lot easier. My next piece of advice I want you to really consider and take to heart. Babies are exhausting. Rest all you can. You will end up on bed rest before the end of this pregnancy, I'm fairly sure. Eat well and do only gentle exercise. Remember, you are taking care of five people now. Here are the two prescriptions." She handed me two pieces of paper. "I want to see you again in two to three weeks for a second ultrasound. We should be able to see individual babies by then I think, instead of just dots. Now how many copies of the ultrasound results do you want?"

"Can I get four please? I want to send them to my family."

Doctor Sara smiled. "Of course you do. Here you go. I'll see you in two to three weeks. Oh, and bring the daddy with you. We will need to get some medical history answers from him and I want him to drive you home. I'm going to go ahead and leave. You change back into your regular clothes and come out to the front desk when you're ready. The receptionist will schedule the next appointment from there. Bye!"

I got dressed quickly and walked out to the desk. I made the next appointment for Friday, three weeks from today, took the appointment card, and walked slowly out to my car. My hand was resting on my abdomen just over where the babies were developing. I got in the car and drove to the pharmacy nearest our apartment. I dropped the prescriptions off and waited for them to be filled, popping next door to do some grocery shopping while I waited. I loaded the car up with the groceries and checked on the prescriptions. I was informed it would be twenty more minutes, so I walked over to the Mexican restaurant next door and ordered enough food for lunch for me and dinner for all of us tonight. Once it was ready, I paid, put it in the car, and retrieved my medicines. I drove home and unloaded the car. Then I texted Jack and Mark.

Me *Hey guys. I'm home.

Jack *Great! How did it go? Are we pregnant?

Mark *Do you want us to come home?

Me *Yes. To everything. I have some stuff to talk to you about and the doctor wants you at the next appointment. 

Jack *Is everything okay?

Mark *That sounds a little scary babe. What's going on?

I didn't reply right away, mainly because I was putting the food away in the fridge and didn't see the messages. My phone started to ring. I picked up. "Hello?"

"Thank Jaysus! [Y/n], you scared us. Why didn't ye answer us? Ye can't just drop a worrying comment and then disappear from tha chat! Mark, she's okay."

"Of course I'm okay. I just needed to put the food I got while I waited for some new medicines to be prepared away and I didn't see your response. Calm down. I just need you two to get home as soon as you can, okay? We have some decisions to make and I have something to show you both. Now let me go finish putting the groceries I just bought away. Oh, and I picked up some dinner on my way home while I waited for medications, so no one has to cook tonight. See you soon. I love you both." With that I disconnected the call. I finished putting the food away and grabbed my lunch, a fork, and an enormous bottle of water. Doctor Sara had mentioned drinking more would help with the morning sickness, as would getting enough sleep. I carried everything out to my computer and logged on while I ate. I loaded Skype and before long, I got a call from Mark's Mom. I made sure my clothes and hair were reasonably straight and answered. "Hello Mrs. Fischbach. It's nice to see you. What can I do for you?"

"Well dear, I wanted to firm up your plans for when you visit. I know you have three families to get to, and we'll have to share, but I want to meet you as soon as possible." 

I smiled. "Thanks. We want to see you too. Our original plan was to visit Cincinnati for the last week of November and the first two weeks of December, but our filming schedule just got changed. Could we visit for the first week of December and then come back for a couple of weeks in January?"

Mark's mom smiled. "That would be fine. Now, [y/n], if I decided to come visit sooner, would you have a place to let me stay? Don't tell the boys though. I want it to be a surprise."

I giggled. "Yes, I have a guest room and Jack's apartment is next door and empty most of the time. Mark's is too for that matter. They stay here almost every night. And I can keep it a secret."

"Good." She looked at me. "Are you feeling okay dear? You look pale and tired. Are you getting enough sleep?"

"I'll be fine, Mrs. Fischbach, I swear. It's just been a rough week."

"Call me Mom. Or Momiplier if you want. That's what Mark's fans call me. It's kind of silly, but I don't mind."

"Okay, Momiplier. I guess that makes me Mark's girliplier." 

Mark's Mom grinned. "I guess it does. Now tell me, what new with you?"

I explained about work and how I was going to be in the final episode of the season before being added as a cast member for season two. I told her about the upcoming Halloween party we were going to and the costume I had started making for myself. We chatted about things in her life and we were just getting ready to disconnect when Mark and Jack came home. Mark came rushing in and blurted out "We're home now babe. What did the doctor say? What's going on with... Hi, Mom."

Mark's mom looked at me. "Doctor? What doctor? Does this have anything to do with your heart?"

I shook my head. "Excuse me just a minute." I muted the audio and turned around to face Mark, making sure she couldn't see my face. "Mark, I'm going to tell her. But I need to have you and Jack in the room at the same time. So get your butts in here and sit down." Mark was pale, but nodded and went to go find Jack. I turned back to Momiplier and unmuted the mic. "Sorry about that. I have some news, but I am waiting for the guys to get back before I share."

She looked at me, a speculative gleam in her eye. "You're pregnant, aren't you? I wondered when I saw how tired and pale you are. Come on, you can tell me."

I stayed absolutely still. "Please just wait a few minutes. I promise it will be worth it. And I told you I can keep a secret." I grinned as I said the last part. Mark and Jack had just walked in the room. I patted the cushions on either side of me, indicating they should take a seat. Then I reached for my purse, finding the ultrasound pictures, but not pulling them out yet. The guys said hi to Mark's Mom, and she said hi to them before everyone focused on me again. 

Mark's mom grinned. "I'm right aren't I. You're pregnant." Mark gawped at his mother. I nodded. 

"Yes. That's why I was at the doctor. I wanted to get a medical confirmation before I started telling people we're going to be parents. The doctor did an exam and a very early ultrasound, which I have pictures from, but I have news on that front." I took a deep breath, but before I could continue, Jack leaned over and squeezed my hand.

"[Y/n], whatever it is we can deal with it. Is tha baby healthy? Are ye healthy?"

"Babies, Jack. Babies."

Mark's mom was the first to catch on. She clapped her hands. "Ooh. My goodness, how exciting. Can I see the pictures?"

I nodded. "In just a minute."

Mark cleared his throat, nervous. "Twins? We're having twins?" I shook my head. "But you said babies. Wouldn't that be twins?" He looked confused for a few more seconds before turning pale. "Triplets?" I shook my head. He got a few shades paler. "Quadruplets?" I nodded. "We're having _QUADRUPLETS?_ "

I pulled out the pictures, handing one to each of the guys and showing one to Momiplier, through the screen. "Two sets of identical twins. There are two embryonic sacs, here, and each one had two little spots, here and here, which are each a baby. That's why my morning sickness has been so bad this week. The doctor gave me some medication for that and some super vitamins as well. She wants us to come in three weeks from today for another checkup and ultrasound, when we will actually be able to see tiny babies developing instead of just blurred dots on the screen."

Jack leaned into me, hugging me tight and resting one hand over the babies. He didn't say anything, he just stayed like that for a long time. Mark was staring intently at the picture in his hands. Momiplier was crying, happy tears, but tears none the less. She finally said, 'Well, that does it. I was going to come out and surprise you boys, since I had already checked with [y/n] to make sure someone could house me, but I'm coming to visit for a few weeks. I'm so happy for all of you. Now Mark, kiss the mother of your babies and say goodbye to your mother. Bye Jack, nice to see you have your priorities straight. Bye, [y/n]. Take extra good care of yourself. I'll be out in a few days, and I'm going to help make sure you don't tire yourself out to much."

Mark looked over at me and suddenly kissed me, softly and sweetly. "Oh my god. This is amazing. Thank you." He turned to the computer. "Bye mom. See you soon!" With that, the call was over. I looked at Jack, who was still hugging me and resting a hand on my lower tummy. Mark leaned into me and rested his head on my shoulder. "You are amazing, love. And you seem to be handling this really well. Are you excited? Nervous?"

I smiled. "A little of both, to be completely honest. And a little bit terrified. Where are we going to put all these little people? Jack, you're being awfully quiet. What are you thinking?"

"We're going ta be parents. It's real. And I think my family is going ta freak out. Ye just made me tha new favorite son. My parents really love babies. We should call them soon and tell them." I smiled down at him. "But not right now. Right now is family time. Four little babies. I wonder what they'll look like? Fooking hell! I wonder which of us fathered all of them."

I blushed. "Actually, it is possible that you both fathered some. I did dome research while I was waiting for the takeout I got and it says it is possible to have fraternal twins with two different fathers, under the right circumstances. I think we might have met those, and each egg split into twins. We will just have to wait and see."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! I doubt anybody saw that one coming...
> 
> And the chapter is up early no less! Happy 4th of July (to anyone in America, like me)


	36. Pregnancy Announcements

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, it's time to tell some more people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [y/e/c] is your eye color.

Jack, Mark, and I had spent the rest of the evening just cuddling, talking about the babies, and sharing our excitement. I had been exhausted, so they made me go to bed early, but I made them stay with me when they thought they were going to leave. The next morning when I woke up, I was feeling only mild nausea. It seems the pills the doctor gave me were working. I smiled and just laid in bed, my hand over my abdomen. Jack and Mark were sleeping on either side of me, and each of them had placed a hand over the babies in their sleep as well. It was adorable. I was debating what to eat for breakfast when I felt Jack waking up next to me. He always shifted and stretched as he woke up, so I leaned over and kissed him. He opened his beautiful blue eyes into my [y/e/c] ones and a slow smile played over his lips. "Mornin' hot stuff. How are ye feeling? Ye look like yer not as sick today. Actually, ye look gorgeous, love."

I smiled at him. "I feel really good. The new medicine for morning sickness is working wonders. I still feel a little bit sick, but it's nothing like as bad as it has been. I was just contemplating breakfast when I felt you stretching and I couldn't resist a wake up kiss."

Jack's smile brightened. "Well, it was a wonderful surprise. Tell ye what, jus' for that, I'm going ta go make us some chocolate chip pancakes. How does that sound?"

"Sounds super yummy. Can you make some bacon too?"

Jack nodded. "Of course. Ye haven't been eating enough this week, so anything ye want I will make, if I can. Now, do ye want ta take a shower while I cook, or do ye want ta stay here with Mark?"

I thought for a second. "Shower, then I want to go online for a little while. We probably ought to call your family today. Mine too, if it comes down to it. After breakfast?"

Jack nodded again. "After breakfast." He leaned over and gave me a long, sweet, tender kiss, before getting out of bed to go cook for me. I sighed contentedly and laid back. 

Unexpectedly, Mark said, "That was adorable." I jumped a little and squeaked. "Sorry babe, I didn't mean to startle you."

"I thought you were still asleep Mark. Sorry if I woke you by moving around."

Mark chuckled. "You woke me when you moved away from me and I lost my heat source. Now come back and snuggle with me. I don't wanna get up yet."

I grinned at him. "Ah, my lazy boyfriend. Sorry, I'm going to go shower and eat breakfast with Jack. He's cooking for me. Then were going to call his family and possibly mine. Can you please join us for that?"

Mark made an indignant sound. "I am not lazy! I'm conserving my energy. Yes, I will come talk to our families. I still can hardly believe we are pregnant, let alone with four babies. I wonder when you will start to show?"

I froze, halfway off the bed. "Oh god. I just realized I'm going to have to tell my channel, sooner rather than later. We are all going to need to have a major discussion about what I tell them and what, if anything, you guys release on your channels. I think Jack at least is going to have to say something about me being pregnant, even if he doesn't say anything about dating me. Since I've been filming so much with him, his fans are used to seeing me all the time. It's gotten to the point where if I not in the videos every other day at the longest, the fans start commenting and worry. I don't know how they came to love me, but they really seem to have taken me into their hearts. I'm flattered."

When I stood up, I straightened my nightgown. Mark and I both noticed something. I had a small baby bump forming. It was barely noticeable, but it was definitely there. I put my hand on it and smiled. Mark's eyes were shining as though he was holding back tears and he had a huge smile on his face. "Oh babe, your starting to show, just a little." Mark's voice trembled as he spoke to me. All I could do was nod. Suddenly, I started to cry, silent tears streaming down my face. Mark noticed right away. "Hey, sweetheart, come here." He held out his arms to me, sitting up. I stepped closer and he pulled me down into his lap and hugged me, stroking my back and kissing the top of my head. "What's wrong? Tell me, please. I hate seeing you cry. It breaks my heart."

I swallowed, taking a deep breath of Mark's unique scent as I tried to calm down. He smelled like smoky cinnamon, sweet and spicy. His smell, which I hadn't noticed this strongly before, soothed me. I sniffed a little and said in a quavering voice, "It's nothing. I just realized I'm going to get absolutely enormous since there are four little ones in there. That must be why I have a baby bump already. I mean, I'm not even two months pregnant! Fortunately it's tiny right now, but I'm going to get really big, and I'm not looking forward to that." 

Mark hugged me a little closer. "[Y/n], you are the sexiest woman I have ever met. You're pregnant with four babies. And you look amazing. Even if you gained two hundred pounds, you would still be beautiful, because I love you. Don't ever doubt that. Or that Jack loves you just as much. We are both amazed everyday that you are part of our lives now. Besides, pregnant women aren't fat. They are miracles, so don't get upset. We will help as much as we can, but I know it's your body that going to change." I nodded and sniffled again. Mark smiled a little, looking almost sad. "I wish I could do this for you, but that's not how real life works. Now, let's dry those tears, shall we? Good girl. Do you want any company in the shower this morning? I could help you wash your hair, or whatever you need."

I smiled a little. "Thanks Mark." I took the tissue he was offering, drying my eyes and gently blowing my nose. "If you want to join me, I certainly won't say no, but you don't have to. I'm a fully grown adult woman, and I can handle it." I laughed humorlessly. "I better be able to handle it. I'm going to be a mother of four in a few months time. Oh god, how am I going to do this?" I was having a moment of panic as the enormity of the situation hit home. I concentrated fiercely to prevent a panic attack from overwhelming me. Deep breaths, I told myself, deep breaths. Smell the scents around you, the faint smells of pancakes cooking, bacon frying, and closer at hand Mark. Feel what's real and solid, Mark's hand on your back, the carpet under your feet, Mark's warm embrace. Look at something calming, Mark's eyes, his hair, your baby bump. Just calm down and focus.

It worked. I calmed down to the point were I was able to completely shake the panic. Mark noticed. "Are you okay now? Did you find away to defuse the anxiety attack you had starting there?"

"Yes, I did Mark. For the first time in a very long time. Thank you. You helped a lot, just by being here and giving me something to focus on other than my worries." I leaned up and kissed him. He smiled.

"Anything for you, love. Anything at all. Now, come on. Let's go get that shower. I want to join you. I promise to keep my hands, well, not my hands, my other parts, to my self, but only because I know that's what you need right now." He helped me up, standing along with me. We walked into the bathroom and took a fast shower. Mark made sure I was okay the whole time. I was feeling morning sickness coming on strong, and battling it took all my concentration. If I noticed he was getting hard, I chose to ignore it. One crisis at a time. Mark also ignored it, since when I was clean, he gave himself a quick wash and stepped out with me, helping me towel off. Yep, the baby bump was definitely starting. It was honestly kind of cute right now. Mark wrapped me up in a towel, wrapped a second towel around his waist, and guided me out into the bedroom. I walked over to the closet and started digging through my clothes looking for something warm, soft, and comfortable to wear today. Since it was Saturday, I didn't plan to go anywhere and comfort and warmth were my primary concerns. Finally, I pulled out a pair of oversized yoga pants and a huge fuzzy sweater in a soft grey. I put them on, feeling like I was wrapped in a hug. It made me smile and I headed down the hall to the living room. Jack popped his head out of the kitchen to smile at me as I walked in.

"Ye look adorable, love. Now, sit down and I'll bring yer food out in a minute. I also have yer tea almost ready. Do ye want ginger or mint?" 

I smiled. "Thanks Jack. Ginger sounds like a better plan right now." I put my hand on my baby bump as I sat down. I had the feeling this was going to become my new pose far more often then I was ready for. I settled back into the soft cushions, grabbed my blanket and laptop, and started booting up to check out what was happening on the internet, specifically Twitter and Tumblr. I had a bunch of fan art and several direct messages, ask me if I was okay, since I had hardly been on Twitter this week. I responded by sending out a tweet claiming I had a stomach thing for the past week, but I should be back to normal soon. I was hoping that would alleviate fears without giving anything away, but I decided I was going to make a vlog post this weekend about my pregnancy, announcing it after we told Jack's family and mine. I answered a few questions and reblogged some of the fan art until Jack came back with my food, medicine, and cup of hot tea. "Thank you babe." I took the tea and pills from him, swallowing my vitamins and morning sickness pill with a large sip of tea. I made a face.

Jack laughed. "What was that for?"

"Those vitamins are kind of large and hard to swallow." Jack grinned and gently took my laptop, setting it on the table at my feet and handed me my plate. It was loaded down with pancakes, bacon, and a banana. "This looks fantastic Jack." I picked up the fork and started cutting up my pancakes. Jack ran out to the kitchen and grabbed his our plate. He came back and sat next to me, indicating I should lean on his shoulder. I did, noticing he had put his morning coffee in a lidded cup so the smell wouldn't bother me. I turned around, set my cup and plate on the table and leaned over to kiss him. "That's for being so thoughtful and wonderful to me this morning. You and Mark are amazing." I grabbed my plate again and started eating, leaning into Jack comfortably.

Jack smiled at me. "You're the amazing one. Ye are handling everything so well. We love ye ta pieces and it's hard for us ta see ye uncomfortable. Thank ye for letting us take care of ye without fighting us." We ate in silence for several minutes until Mark came in from down the hall. "Morning Mark. Food's ready in tha kitchen." Mark thanked Jack and headed past us, into the kitchen, grabbing a plate of food and a cup of coffee. Meanwhile, I finished eating as much as I thought I could hold down. I set my plate down and picked up my tea, sipping quietly. Jack raised his eyebrows. "Ye didn't eat much, love. Is it yer stomach?" I nodded. Jack put his arm around me and pulled me in closer. I set my tea down and snuggled into him. I noticed he smelled really good to me this morning as well. Jack always smelled like sugar, rain, and the woods to me. Today it was much stronger. I had noticed I was a lot more sensitive to smells over the last few days, and wondered if it was because of the pregnancy. When Mark sat down next to me, as close as he could, I suddenly felt much better. The scents of both men made me feel like I was safe and loved. Smoky cinnamon and sweet, wet woods were my new favorite smells in the world. I was so relaxed I started to doze in their arms. 

After a few minutes, however, I shook myself awake. I grabbed my tea and finished it, then grabbed my laptop, determined to get something done before I slept anymore. I really hoped the exhaustion would lessen and soon. Maybe the vitamins would help. Jack and Mark finished eating quickly and Mark gathered up the dishes, taking them into the kitchen to clean up. I gave him a few minutes before loading Skype. As soon as I was logged in, I got a call from Felix and Marzia. I accepted, not moving from Jack's side. "Hey Jack, [Y/N]! We have been looking for you online since we talked the other day." Marzia looked at me. "How are you doing sweetie? You look tired and pale."

I smiled a little. "Yeah, well, I'm pregnant, so I guess it comes with the territory." 

Felix grinned. "So is that a definite thing now?"

Jack smiled down at me as I nodded. "Oh yeah, she's definitely pregnant. She went ta tha doctor yesterday and not only got it confirmed, she got some MAJOR confirmation. Not only are we going ta be parents, we're gonna have multiple little ones. She's pregnant with quadruplets." I blushed a little and smiled.

Felix and Marzia looked stunned. I giggled. "That's exactly how I felt yesterday when the doctor told me. Then she did an ultrasound and found the two little embryonic sacs. Each one of them had two little developing fetuses. I think I'm still processing things, although I was pretty sure I was pregnant before I went. I have been having terrible morning sickness, I'm constantly tired, and everything smells really strong right now. That last part is causing me some added stomach troubles, but the doctor gave me a prescription that seems to be helping. And this morning I noticed I have the barest beginnings of a baby bump, which surprised me since I'm not even two months along, but I guess it makes sense with four developing babies." I took a breath and noticed Jack staring at me, slightly open mouthed. "Oh, didn't you notice it this morning? Mark did. He had to help me through an anxiety episode." Jack leaned over and kissed me on the cheek, whispering how sorry he was that I was having trouble with that. I smiled at him. "I'm okay now though. I was able to break the panic cycle before I had an actual attack."

Marzia and Felix were having a quiet discussion on the other and of the call. When they noticed we were watching, Marzia grinned at us. "We just wanted to check on you after the other morning. Since we know you're okay now, we will let you go. We have some stuff to do anyway. Talk to you soon!" With that she leaned over and disconnected the call. Jack leaned in close and nuzzled my neck. I smiled at him, loving the affection and warmth he was providing. We sat like this until Mark came back in.

"Hey! No love for me? Oh, and who were you talking to? I could hear you talking, but not who was on the other end or what you were saying. I was doing the dishes." Mark sat down next to me and I leaned over his way to give him a kiss.

Jack pouted. "Now yer stealing her? I heard ye noticed her baby bump first this morning. Not fair."

I kissed Mark and then just sat back up straight. Both men immediately leaned into me, one on either side. I felt each of them wrap an arm around my back, one at the waist and one at my shoulders. Then they both reached forward with their other hands and rubbed my abdomen. I sighed, content. "Mark, it was Felix and Marzia calling. They wanted to check in on me since they knew something was up when they called on Felix's birthday, earlier this week. I went ahead and told them the news and they hung up to discuss it as soon as they reassured me it was just a 'How are you?' call." Jack snorted. "Jack, you know that's what they are doing. Come on, don't be a complete goofball. They are probably making guesses as to which of you fathered the babies, right now." I paused for a breath. "Okay, enough stalling. You know why I logged onto Skype in the first place. We need to call your family, Jack. Before we do, do you want to see the baby bump? It's tiny, hardly visible at all, but..." I trailed off.

Jack grinned at me. "Nah. I can feel it, that's enough. Let's call Ma and Pa first. Actually, let's do it now, I think most of tha family might be there today, since it's my oldest sister's anniversary. They always go ta Ma and Pa's for that, usually for tha whole weekend."

I nodded and dialed the number, fingers shaking just slightly from nerves. Jack's mother picked up on the second ring. "Jack! What a lovely surprise! Are ye calling ta wish yer sister a happy anniversary? I can go get her."

Jack smiled at his mother. "No, Ma. I mean, not entirely. We wanted ta talk ta ye and Pa."

She grinned. "Just a minute, I fetch him." She stepped off screen and one of Jack's nieces stepped up to peek at us. She squealed and waved. Soon a passel of children were crowding around the screen, clamoring for Jack's attention and asking who Mark and I were. We were smiling at them when suddenly there was a noise on the other end and the children scattered. Jack's mother reappeared on screen. "Sorry about that, Jack. Here's yer Pa. Now what did ye want ta talk ta us about." She looked at me and grinned. "Although, I might have a wee guess, based on tha way ye two men are holding yer girlfriend. Is she by chance expecting?"

Jack grinned and nodded. "Yep. Good guess Ma. But ye'll never guess tha rest, so sit down. Ye two Pa." Jack's parents sat down, looking happy and a little concerned at the same time.

I spoke up quickly. "It's nothing bad, just startling. We're going to have quadruplets. Oh, gawd, it doesn't get any easier to say that. We just found out yesterday." I looked up and saw the excitement and pure joy on Jack's parents faces. "We wanted to let our families know right away. Hey Mark, hand me my purse please." Mark handed the bag over and resumed his cuddling position. I dug out the ultrasound picture and held it up for the camera. "That's the picture they took yesterday. The doctor thinks I'm about six weeks along, so all we could see was the embryonic sac, but there were two of them, both with two dark spots, indicting where the babies are. See, right there, there, there, and there." I was pointing them out, excited. Jack parents were clearly excited as well.

Jack's dad was grinning hugely when he held up a hand to me. "Hang on a tick, sweetie. I'm gonna go get Jack's sisters and brother. They will want ta see this too." He stepped off screen for just a minute. Jack leaned over and kissed me again. I smiled at him and his mother made an 'awww' face and sound. Jack's dad came back, bring three more people into the range of the screen. They all looked puzzled for a few seconds until one of Jack's sisters spotted the ultrasound picture. She immediately knew what it was and squealed with delight, pointing it out to the other two siblings. "Ha! I knew they'd be surprised!"

I grinned at Jack's father. "And you didn't tell them why they were coming over, just that Jack wanted to say Hi, right?"

He looked at me for a second, then turned to Jack. "She's sharp. It's almost uncanny. Tha's exactly what happened." 

Jack, Mark, and I laughed. I looked at Jack's dad again. "Yeah, and knowing exactly how Jack would have played it doesn't give me an edge?"

Jack's dad laughed. "Fair play, lass!"

Jack's sister, **_{A/N -- Hey, guys, guess what? I found a source with Jack's siblings names! Now I can add them in the correct spots. Nothing else will change, just adding the correct details. :) Yea! Research skills! By the way, I totally am making up all the facts about these people up as I go, since there isn't exactly information on the web about them. All I found was their names, spouse names, and Jack's parents names. So, yeah, only a little realism added here.}_** Susan, whose anniversary it was, spoke up. "Wait a minute. It looks like there is more than one little dot on there." Since she had kids, I wasn't that surprised that she could read the picture, at least somewhat. Three sets of blue eyes moved between me and the ultrasound image. I nodded.

Jack spoke up this time. "Yep. There is more than one all right." He paused for effect. I rolled my eyes and elbowed him. He grinned at me and said, "Alright, alright. Easy there, Miss Sharp Elbows." His siblings laughed as I stuck out my tongue at him. "So, yeah. She's pregnant with two sets o' twins. Quadruplets. We just found out." We looked at his stunned siblings faces. His brother, Simon, was the first to recover and he smiled at us. Susan smiled, waved a quick goodbye, and told us she was going to go tell her husband, Paul, and kids. Jack's other sister, Alison, still appeared to be taking it in. Eventually, she grinned and whispered something to Simon. 

The two of them laughed. Alison leaned into the camera and said, "Well, Jackaboy, looks like ye're gonna have yer hands full. Any idea where yer gonna put tha babby stuff? It takes up a load of room. Ye might need ta buy a house now. Good luck, baby bro, ye're gonna need it!" She cackled and the two of them ran off. Jack's mother rolled her eyes.

I looked at her and grinned. She smiled fondly at us after a moment. "Now, when are ye getting here for tha holidays? Or are ye still coming? I would understand if ye couldn't, what with yer health and all."

"No, Ma, we'll be there for Christmas. Our schedule got changed a little, but we are still coming. Listen, we can send ye a copy of tha picture if ye want. Just let us know."

"Of course I want a picture, Jack! Oh, I'm so excited. Well, I have ta go. Yer sisters have some plans for the afternoon and I need ta watch the kids. Love ye all! See ye soon." She waved a goodbye to us, as did Jack's dad, and they hung up the call. I closed my eyes and leaned into the supporting arms behind me. I was getting tired already. Jack dialed his brother Malcolm and we repeated the conversation. Malcolm was very happy for us and congratulated us several times before he had to leave. When we were done, I looked at Mark. He still needed to tell his step-mother and brother, and I needed to tell my family, but I was getting worn out. 

"Mark, babe let's call your step-mother next. I'm starting to need a nap, but I think I can handle one more call. If you want to call Thomas while I take a nap, that would be fine with me." Mark nodded and we dialed the number. Dee answered right away.

"Why hello. Mark, I just got a phone call from your brother. He said you had some news, but didn't know what it was. Apparently, he was talking to your mother this morning." Mark, Jack, and I blushed. 

I was the first to speak. "Sorry about not calling you sooner, but, well, I was too exhausted to call anyone else last night."

Mark nodded. "Yeah, actually that is why we are calling today. Mom called yesterday and surprised us, that's how she already knows." Dee looked at us. "Okay, first you might want to sit down, if you're not already. We're pregnant!" Mark just blurted it out, grinning. I smiled and shook my head at him. Dee was doing the same thing.

"Mark, sweetie, I kind of thought maybe she was. Look where your hands all are." We glanced down. All of us were resting hands on my baby bump again. I smiled sheepishly. "Congratulations."

I smiled at her. "Thanks Dee. But there is more to it than just me being pregnant." I pulled out the picture again and held it up to the screen. "There are four little ones on the way. That's why I was so exhausted. Between the actual pregnancy and the emotional drain of finding out, I was a mess." I pointed out the two dots in each sac. "See, two sets of twins." I grinned at her face, particularly the perfect 'o' her mouth was making. "We'll still be visiting for the holidays too, but we had to move things around a little. We'll be in Cincinnati for the first week of December and a couple of weeks in January. Our schedule got changed a little because of the TV show. Do you want us to email you a copy of the picture here? Or do you want to wait until the babies are actually visible?" 

"Oh, both! I'll take a copy of that one, but I really want to see every image you get. This is so exciting! And, [y/n], you need to rest. Four babies. Oh, I can't wait!" I smiled at her enthusiasm. "Now, I'm going to let you go. I'm sure you have other calls to make. Mark, call your brother. He's worried. He was calling me to ask if I knew what the news was and was acting like he thought something was wrong. I love you, and take care of your girlfriend! Bye everyone!" With that the call ended. I chuckled weakly.

"That went well." Mark stated. "I better call Thomas now, though, especially if he's worried. Are you up for one more short call, love?" I closed my eyes and nodded. Mark dialed his brother. Thomas's worried face appeared on screen in seconds. "Hey Thomas. How are you doing man? I hear you talked to Mom yesterday."

"Mark, what the hell is going on? Mom got all cryptic and told me she was flying out to California this week because you had some big news. What's going on? The last time this happened, you were in the hospital and needed emergency surgery. I really worried about you."

I looked at Thomas. "Calm down please, Thomas. The news is actually about me." Thomas looked at me, but didn't relax. "We're going to be parents in a few months. I'm pregnant. With two sets of twins." Thomas's jaw dropped and his eyes got huge. "You're going to be an uncle to four little babies." I smiled at him shyly. 

"Holy shit! No wonder Mom is flying out there. Did you tell Dee yet, Mark? She'll be over the moon." Mark nodded. Thomas grinned. "So, one question, who's the dad?" We all blushed and looked away from the camera. Thomas laughed. "Oh ho! Someone is either avoiding the question or doesn't know. Interesting."

Mark groaned and ran his hand through his hair. "Thomas, lay off, okay? We didn't exactly plan this. And [y/n] is having a hard time. She had to go on some prescription anti-nausea medication and she is exhausted all the time. We are trying to get her to take it easy, but it's hard. Now, if you are just going to tease her, we have to go. She needs a nap, and we have other calls to make." Thomas nodded, thoughtful. "Well, we'll talk to you soon, Tom. Bye!" Mark ended the call.

I snuggled into Jack a little more, moving Mark's arm. Jack smelled so good, and I was getting really sleepy. Mark smelled good too, but it wasn't as calming. I fell asleep cuddled into Jack's side, Mark on my other side, keeping me warm and rubbing my shoulder. When I woke up, it was early afternoon. I stretched and yawned. Jack grinned at me, looking up from his cell phone and Twitter. "Feeling better?" I nodded, still sleepy. "Good. Mark just left to go make some lunch. We were going ta wake ye for food."

I smiled. "No need. I'm awake now." I rubbed the baby bump, where my hands were resting in my sleep. "How long did I sleep for?"

Mark answered, coming back from the kitchen with a tray of sandwiches, some fruit, and veggies. "About two and a half hours. Now here's some food, eat up." I grabbed a handful of grapes and some celery. Mark and Jack frowned at me. "You need to eat more than that, love. Remember, you are eating to support five people right now.'

I made a grumpy face. "I was planning on eating a bit more. I just wanted to start with this." 

Jack raised an eyebrow. 'Really? Because we are going to be watching. Ye've hardly eaten anything the past few days, and what ye have eaten ye threw up. So yeah, we're going ta be pushing food at ye." He leaning over and grabbed a sandwich for himself. I scowled and ate my celery and grapes. When I was done, I grabbed a handful of cucumber slices and a turkey and cheese sandwich. I put the cucumbers on the sandwich and ate it. When I was done, I stood up and went into the kitchen, grabbing some water, a bag of tortilla chips, and the rest salsa I had made earlier in the week. Mark grinned when he saw me eating other food and put the leftover sandwiches and veggies away. When I finished eating, it was time to call my family. I picked up my laptop once again and started dialing. I called Mom first.

"Hey Mom. How's it going?"

Mom answered. "Pretty well. How are you dear? You look pale and tired. Are you getting enough rest?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. Listen, about the holidays. Our schedule changed a little for work, so we need to adjust the dates we will be visiting. We are still planning to fly in for Thanksgiving, but it will be New Years before we can make it after that. BUT we can stay for longer into January since things got moved."

"That's fine dear. Everyone will be excited to see you whenever you are here."

"Thanks for understanding Mom." Mark walked back into the room and sat down again. I smiled up at him as he said hello to my mother. Jack took the opportunity to say hi as well. "Now, Mom, I have some news."

"What is it? [Y/n], are you sick?"

I shook my head. "No, Mom. I got cast for a role in the TV show I'm working on, starting next season." Mark chuckled, his deep rumbling laugh running along my spine. "Oh, and I'm pregnant."

Mom's eyes got huge and she smiled. "Really? I'm going to be a grandma?" I nodded. "When is the baby due?"

Mark leaned forward. "Actually, babies. We're having more than one. And she's about six weeks along from what the doctor told her yesterday."

I nodded and shoved him out of the way. "Yeah. Surprise! It's quadruplets. Two sets of identical twins!" I held the picture up for her to see. We kept talking for a while after I broke the baby news, and finally Mom had to go. I told her I would tell the rest of the family at Thanksgiving. She nodded and we said our goodbyes. I smiled and hung up the call, closing Skype all the way. I was done telling people, at least for now. I loaded a game and started playing while Jack and Mark watched, just relaxing with me. Before long, we heard a knock at the door. I paused the game and handed my laptop to Jack. "Hold this please. I'll be right back." I went to answer the doorbell.

It was Molly and Mandy. I smiled at them and invited them in. "Hi! I didn't expect to see either of you today. How's it going?"

Molly looked at me. "Good. Hey listen, I was invited to join the TV show next season, and I was wondering what you thought about it. I know they really need some women on the show, so I hate to turn it down, but I have no idea what goes on there. Mandy suggested I ask you, since Wade was no help."

I smiled a little wider. "Sure! I'll be on next season too. I was hoping they would invite you. Basically, I don't have much to do with the actual show, I'm the YouTube side and crew coordinator. Oh, and I help with editing if they need an extra person. And I record the promos for the show. Basically, everything except the actual recording of the show, though I have helped with that a few times when the cameramen were out."

Molly stared at me. "When do you have time to sleep?" I blushed. "Is that why you look so exhausted lately?"

My blush spread down my neck and got darker. "No. That's something else. I'll be fine." I took a breath, trying to cool my blush a little. "Hey, I have an idea. Let's go to the studio on Monday and watch the filming session. That way we can see first hand what goes on and ask any questions we need to. You can make your decision and tell our boss too. Mandy, if you want to come, I'm sure I can get you in as well." I looked thoughtful for a moment. "Actually, can you two keep a secret?" 

Mandy nodded. Molly said "Of course we can. Oh, by the way, don't think I didn't notice that subject change there. Now, I think your idea to go with you to watch the filming is a really good one. "

I smiled crookedly. "Come in here then and sit down. Actually can you call Bob and Wade to come down too?" I had stepped back to my place at the couch between Jack and Mark. They were looking at me with inquiring expressions. Jack must have realized what I was doing, because he pulled me in close for a hug and winked at me, away from Mandy and Molly. Mark still looked confused, but when I reached for my purse, his expression changed to surprised understanding. He leaned in and kissed my cheek. The boys were sweet to let me decide who to tell and I appreciated the support. Mandy, Molly, the guys, and I chatted while we waited for the others. A few minutes later there was another knock on the door. Mark got up and answered it, letting Bob and Wade in. Mark led them into the living room and everyone got settled. Jack and Mark were grinning and each had an arm around my back again. I smiled at everyone. "Okay. Thanks for coming Wade, Bob. I'll be quick, I just wanted to share some news with you."

Bob adjusted his glasses. "If it's that you'll be on the show starting soon, we know. Vicki came in and announced there would be new cast members on Friday and told us who a few of them are going to be. You, Felix, Ken, Mary, and Marzia have all confirmed, so she told us about you."

I grinned. "Not what I was going to tell you, but good. I'm glad she told everyone. It makes my life easier. Molly is considering joining as well, so we'll all be in the filming area on Monday to watch and ask questions. But anyway, that's not my news. I'm pregnant." I shut up and watched their faces. Surprise and confusion were reigning supreme at the moment. 

Mandy was the first to recover. 'Well, congratulations. Wait, you are happy about this right?" Mark, Jack, and I nodded., They squeezed my shoulders. "Great. You will all be amazing parents."

"Thank you. But that's not all. I guess that wasn't enough of a surprise for all of us, because I'm actually carrying two sets of identical twins, from what the doctor could tell yesterday." I grabbed the picture and showed them, explaining the grainy image to the best of my ability.

When I was done, Wade looked at me. "So can I be an honorary uncle, please?" I smiled and nodded through teary eyes. I was touched he cared that much. Bob wanted to volunteer as well. After that we all settled back and just talked for a good long time, about babies, the future, gaming, and a variety of other subjects. I was curled into Mark's chest again and didn't even realize I had fallen asleep until I heard Wade asking if they should leave so I could sleep.

I opened my eyes. "No, don't go. I'm just fatigued from being pregnant. I'm fine and you guys should stay if you want. I've spent all day either napping or telling people I'm pregnant, so talking about other things is nice. I just need to wake up."

Mark shook his head at me. "So stubborn. I'm not going to argue, only because it's almost dinner time. What can you eat tonight?"

I made a face at him. "Order some pizzas. I want white pizza with extra spinach, broccoli, mushrooms, olives, cheese, and regular chicken. No onions please."

Mark rolled his eyes. "Okay. Everyone else? What do you want for pizza?"

Everyone gave their requests and Mark got up and ordered the pizzas. He also ordered a side of wings. When he came back into the room, he told everybody he was going to have to go get the food, so he would be back soon. We nodded and conversation resumed, with everyone discussing the merits of playing older games versus all new titles for their channels. I was firmly in the corner of some of the old games. Jack was as well. Bob was saying he preferred to upload the new games. Wade and Molly were neutral, pointing out the pros and cons of either side. Eventually, Bob admitted he like the older games too, but felt like the fans were looking more for new games, so he only played them in his spare time. We grinned at him. I had just started a series on my channel, calling it Game Throwback Thursdays, and I had uploaded twice so far. The fan response was overwhelmingly positive and I planned to continue it every week. I mentioned it and Bob's face flushed. He mentioned he had seen it, and it was really clever. I chuckled remembering he had told me that he was a subscriber. 

When Mark got back, we had booted up my gaming console and were playing team Mario Kart matches. Jack and I were winning, with Molly and Wade in second. Bob and Mandy were in a distant third, but they were starting to make a move on second place. Mark grinned and announced the food was here, so we finished the round and headed into the kitchen, gathering paper plates, napkins, food, and drinks before settling back into our seats. When I had stood up, I stretched, and Jack had eyed my abdomen. I knew he was looking for the barely there baby bump. He must have seen it because his smile got much brighter and his face looked like pure sunshine and joy. After dinner, everyone played games for a little while longer before they headed home for the night, noticing my drooping eyelids and continuous yawns, no matter how much I protested I was fine and they should stay. I promised to see everyone on Monday and as soon as they were gone, Mark and Jack ushered me back to bed. I didn't fight them and was asleep as soon as I climbed under the covers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, babby is an Irish slang term for a baby. It wasn't a typo. ;)


	37. Halloween Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Halloween! Let's party. Will you tell anyone at the party, or just wait to tell them until another time? Or will someone guess?
> 
> Also, overprotective Dan makes you feel a little crazy.

After the busy day that was Saturday, I decided to just be lazy on Sunday. I needed to make my costume for the party on Wednesday. I decided I would go as something sweet, so I decided to make a fairy costume. I ran to my closet and began looking through my clothes. Finally I settled on a shimmering, wispy, pale green, multilayered skirt, that had silver and gold thread on the outside layer. It was very pretty and I had never found anything to wear it to, but I couldn't resist buying it when I saw it. The great thing was it was a little loose on me, or it had been before. I tried it on and was pleased to see it fit perfectly. I found a cropped silver top with longs sleeves that went with it really well and a sheer pale blue top with gold threads and trim to go over it. I smiled as I looked in the mirror. Perfect. I looked like a shimmering floating ethereal being. Now I needed to make wings, and figure out my hair. I grabbed my sewing kit and the huge basket of material I always kept for craft projects and dragged them out to the the table. Then I found the perfect materials. I had gold gauze and silver tulle. Grabbing my heavy duty wire, I made a framework for the wings, attaching them to a pair of homemade shoulder straps that would go under my shirt, using magnets in a way that would allow them to come off and reattach easily. The wings would attach over the shirt, leaving my clothes sandwiched between, but unharmed. I then took the framework off the shoulder straps and started making the wings, layering the silver, then gold, then silver again cloth. When I was done the wings looked pretty good. I reached for the fabric basket once more and found exactly what I needed. Sheer, purple tulle, which when layered only two layers thick made everything look amazing. I smiled as I finished gluing and sewing everything in place. Next I grabbed the fabric paint and added some swirling designs in metallic blues, green, purples, and silver. I put the wings aside to dry and carried the basket of materials back to put it away, also carrying my other craft supplies. I peeked into my costume box and found a silver and gold crown with large fake sapphires to complete the look.

When I came back out to the living room, Jack and Mark were staring at the wings on our table. I smiled at them. "I was finalizing my costume for the party. Hey, speaking of that, I better call Suzy and find out if she needs us to bring anything. Now that I have the medication, I don't think the morning sickness will be so much of an issue."

I called Suzy and asked if she needed us to bring anything. "Well, actually, other than your fabulous selves, can you bring some cookies? Everyone loves those, and I have no idea how to make them like you do." I assured her it was no problem and told her we would see her Wednesday. 

When I got off the phone, I was feeling tired again, so I grabbed some food for lunch and sat down on the couch, snuggling down into a pillow. I wasn't sure where Jack and Mark had gotten to, so I grabbed my food and my ebook reader and just amused myself for a while, until I fell asleep. I was still napping when someone knocked loudly on the door later in the afternoon. I got up and stretched, yawning, before going to answer it. It was Dan. "Hey, [y/n]. Oh, did I wake you? I can come back later if you want, I just wanted to see if you were over that stomach thing yet and feeling better." Dan was looking me up and down. I blushed slightly at the scrutiny. 

"Come on in Dan. I'm not sure where Jack and Mark are. I finished working on my Halloween costume and they disappeared on me." I led him into the living room and sat down on the couch. "You really don't need an excuse to visit. I like it when you come over, you know."

"Thanks, babe. I really have been worried about you though. I noticed you didn't go in to work on Friday at the normal time. I had to leave around ten, and your car was still here. Have you seen a doctor yet?"

I sighed and looked down, making sure not to hold my baby bump. I didn't want to worry him, but I wasn't sure if I should tell him when Mark and Jack weren't here either. I liked having the support, but I knew Dan would be happy for me if I told him I was happy about it. I chewed on my lip, thinking. After a slightly too long silence, I looked up at him and smiled a little, hoping it didn't look too forced. "Yes, I went to the doctor on Friday. That's why I didn't go in to work on time. I'm okay, I swear!" Dan continued to try to stare me down, taking my hands in his. 

"Now, what aren't you telling me, babe? I can tell you are hiding something. Now spill. No matter what it is, I promise, I will be here for you. Don't worry. Are you sick?"

I looked into his face, seeing the concern and fear in his eyes. I hated seeing that. That made up my mind. I was going to tell him. "No, I'm not sick. Well, not really." I took a deep breath, looking down, wondering why it was harder to tell him than it was to tell our other friends. "I'm pregnant." I waited for a reaction. When he didn't say anything for a long time, I looked up. "Dan? Did you hear me? I'm pregnant. I'm going to be a mother." I pulled one hand free from his and put it on the tiny baby bump. I smiled as I looked down. 

Dan finally unfroze. "Really? You're going to have a baby? That's amazing. Are you happy about it, or do I need to kick Jack and Mark into next week?"

I chuckled. "We're all really happy about it. But you made a little mistake there. You said A baby. We're going to have more than one." I pulled out the much used picture. "See that? It's the embryonic sac. If you look there are two of them." I paused, making sure he saw what I was talking about. He squinted for a minute then looked at me.

"What are those dark spots? There are four of them."

I grinned. "That would be the actual babies. I am carrying two sets of identical twins."

"Four babies? You're having four babies?" I nodded. "Whoa."

I smiled. "I know, right? I'm a little conflicted. I'm excited, scared shitless, nervous, and overwhelmed. Add to that the nausea and exhaustion and basically, I'm a wreck. The doctor gave me some super-vitamins and anti-nausea medication, which is helping, but I have been really draggy for the last few days. I'm hoping it gets better soon, but I'm only about six weeks pregnant or so. I still have a long way to go." 

"So, was this planned, or were you surprised?"

I laughed. "Oh, this was a HUGE surprise. But Jack and Mark have been really great so far, dealing with my being sick to my stomach constantly, overly emotional, tired, freezing most of the time, and basically a needy mess all week. I think they feel guilty. They have been talking about the babies almost non-stop though, and seem to really be looking forward to them getting here." I smiled again. "They are more excited than I am at this point, mostly because I have been the one dealing with the physical side effects. We called all our families and told them, which went amazingly well. I had wanted to wait to tell people until after I was past the three month point, but I already have a tiny baby bump starting, and I doubt I can really keep it a secret that long. I am planning on making a video about it in a few weeks. I haven't talked to Jack and Mark about what we tell the fans on their channels, if anything, but I figure we can address that later. I'm still reeling from all the news this week. I didn't have a clue I was pregnant until Tuesday last week, and then Friday I not only got it confirmed, but it went from one possible baby to four."

Dan shook his head. "You're handling it really well then." I looked at him. "I'd be a mess, probably crying my eyes out or freaking out completely. You're just coolly accepting it and moving on to deal with the next thing."

This made me chuckle. "Well, how is freaking out going to help? I will admit, I fainted twice, if that helps you feel any better. Once when I got the pregnancy test results and the second time at the doctors office when she told me I was having quadruplets. Oh, and the panic attack you walked in on last Tuesday." 

Dan chuckled as well. "Yeah, actually, it does make me feel better. It helps me know that you really are handling it, not just pushing things aside and ignoring them." He grinned at me. "So, I get to be an official 'uncle' right?"

"If you want. Wade and Bob asked me the same question when we told them last night. I'm sorry for not telling you before we told them, but when Molly and Mandy came over and started asking me questions about something else and looking at me so suspiciously, I had to tell them, and I didn't feel like I could tell them before I told Bob and Wade, so they all came over for a while last night. Yesterday was a long day."

Dan looked concerned again. "It's no problem. I'm not thrilled you didn't call me first, but I know why you told your families first. How did they take the news? Are you going to have angry parents storming the castle that I will need to protect you from?"

That got a weak laugh. "Nope. everyone who we talked to was really excited about it. We still need to tell most of my family, but I'm going to wait and do it in person when we fly back East for Thanksgiving. I told my mom, but she promised not to tell anyone else. I might call my brothers, just to get it out in the open before we get there, or I might wait and do it before we go to the big family meal. I have a feeling they are going to be the ones Mark and Jack are going to have the most trouble dealing with." Suddenly, a terrible thought crossed my mind and I turned pale. What if they got so upset they hurt Jack or Mark? Would it come to blows? I began to worry, chewing on my lip again.

Dan looked at me. "Okay, what just happened? You were fine, talking about your family, then you turned whiter than a piece of paper and started chewing on your lip. Are you afraid of something?"

I looked up, hesitating. Finally I said "I just realized my brothers may be seriously unhappy with Jack and Mark. I am a little worried it may come to a fight, and that scares me."

Dan gave me a hug. "If they care that much about you, everyone will find a way to work it out. Don't worry about things you can't control. Now, unless you have more news, I'm going to go ahead and leave, because you look like you need to get back to your nap." I smiled up at him as he stood up. I started to get up as well, to walk him out, but he waved me back into the couch. "I can walk myself out and I will lock the door behind me. I have your spare key, don't forget. I'll see you later okay? Have a nice nap."

I waved and yawned. As soon as he left, I curled up under my blanket and fell back asleep. I didn't wake up until I felt Jack sit down beside me on the couch. I looked up at him with sleepy eyes. "Hey Jack, where have you guys been? I missed you."

Jack chuckled. "It looks like it. Ye've been asleep. Unless ye woke up and went looking for us?"

"I woke up because Dan came over and visited for a while. I told him the news and he told me to go back to my nap after he was convinced I was okay. He let himself out and locked up with his spare key. I did wonder where you two went though. I was just too tired to do anything about it." I sat up and practically crawled into his lap, scooting as close as I could without sitting on him. He smiled and hugged me with one arm. I settled in against him. 

"Ye're so snuggly lately. I love it." I grinned at him. "Are ye feeling more rested?" I nodded, not moving. He smelled so good, it was comforting and sexy at the same time. I had never really thought about smells the way had been this week. It was as though I suddenly had a super sensitive nose. I had read a little about pregnancy earlier, before my first nap, and several things had mentioned some women experienced a heightened sense of smell. So far it was the only thing I was actually enjoying about being pregnant. Well, that and the tiny baby bump, but I knew that would change soon, when my stomach started to balloon up. Mark came in and grinned when he saw us snuggling on the couch. 

"Couldn't wait for me to join you, could you Jack? Had to come in and steal all the cuddles for yourself. So greedy."

I looked at Mark. Then I grinned, feeling sassy. "Who says I would have snuggled with you anyway? I like snuggling with Jack. He's comfy and he smells really good."

Jack blushed and Mark pouted. "That's just mean. Why are you so mean? Isn't she mean, Jack?"

Jack raised an eyebrow at Mark. "It sounded ta me like she was jus' stating facts." I smiled up at Jack and he leaned in for a kiss. I kissed him back before settling into a slightly more comfortable position and putting a hand over my babies. Mark saw the movement and he suddenly reached out and pulled me into a hug. I hugged him back and settled back for the third time in just a few minutes, leaning on Jack. I heard Jack mummer "So sweet and snuggly." into my hair and smiled. We spent the evening snuggling, with me alternating between the guys whenever someone got up, and watching Netflix. Eventually, Jack and Mark told me they had gone out to get Halloween costumes and some groceries. I nodded. I hoped they had good costumes. When it was dinner time, Jack got up and made some spaghetti for us, and we ate watching TV. We all headed back for bed early again, since the guys noticed I was getting tired. I felt like all I did was sleep lately, but it was all I could do to keep from feeling sick. I had noticed the more tired I was, the more nausea I felt. I was listening to my body as much as I could at this point and just trying to deal with everything. I hoped it would be enough and the babies would develop into healthy and happy infants. I was already thinking about how soon I could find out more about them and I smiled whenever they crossed my minds, which was often.

Monday and Tuesday were a little rough, since I insisted on going to work as long as I wasn't too sick. I managed to make it through the day, napping in the afternoon on Tuesday. Thank goodness I was a fast editor and I had banked so many videos for both Jack and Mark. We were eating into them a little right now, because I simply couldn't keep up my usual pace. I was still getting most of my work done, but I had found I usually couldn't finish one or two of the videos by the end of the day. Monday was worse, because I spent all afternoon in the filming studio with Molly and Mandy, watching how the TV show actually worked from a non-camera person and non-editor perspective. It was very different but I was glad to see Molly immediately signed on for the second season. On Wednesday, I left Jack to handle the recording aspect of his videos alone. I worked on catching up the back log, which I did, and then I headed over to Vicki's office. I needed to talk to her.

When I knocked, Vicki told me to come in, so I did, closing the door behind me. I didn't realize it, but I must have looked exhausted and a little shaky this morning. I was definitely feeling the morning sickness today, even with the medicine. I sat down in the chair across from Vicki when told me to sit down. I took a deep breath, looking at my hands. "Look, I'm not going to beat around the bush here. I got medical confirmation I am definitely very pregnant. I'm exhausted. I will work as much as I can for as long as I can, but I am going to need some help with editing. We need to hire some more people." I looked up as I said this.

Vicki nodded. "About time you realized it. You have been overworking yourself for months. You were never meant to be assigned all of those jobs, we just didn't realize how many people we would need, so we under-hired. Then you took everything on yourself and we didn't need to fill any positions. Since you are pregnant, I want to hire an editor for Jack, and editor for Mark, and if you want one, an editor for you. That would leave you feel to manage the department, record the promos, animate, and work on your channel, at least until we add the TV show filming in there. I know it's still a lot, but it should help. We can add more people if we need to later as well."

I was astonished. "That would be amazing. I can still edit my own videos, at least for now. If we have two additional editors, they should be able to help out with my videos if I start to fall behind as long as I am not too demanding. How soon can we start looking. I want to get them in and trained as soon as possible."

Vicki looked thoughtful. "I can put up the job postings today. I'll send you a copy as well, so you can post it where ever you think would be best online. We can start interviewing as soon as next week if we get the right candidates." I nodded.

"Thank you Vicki. This will help a lot. By the way, I feel like I should tell you, I'm pregnant with quadruplets, so at some point I'm probably going to need to be on bedrest, but I'm hopeful it will be a long way into the pregnancy."

Vicki looked like someone had shocked her. "Four babies? Will you tell me who the father is now?" I shook my head. "Well, I had to ask. Good luck and if you need extra time because of the pregnancy, we will work it out. Now, scoot, I need to write this job posting." I smiled as I walked out. That went far better than I had hoped. I was going to have some real help at work. 

By lunch time, I was getting tired. I finished editing Jack's videos from that morning and was half through Mark's when everyone came in for lunch. The guys had gotten takeout, buying me some pad Thai, and I dug in as soon as someone handed it to me. We all chatted while we ate and I mentioned they were hiring some additional editors. Jack and Mark smiled, clearly happy I would have less work. Matt looked guilty for a second, before realizing no one was blaming him. He was just as busy as everyone else. After the guys finished eating, they headed down the hall to work on the show for the day, and I curled up and took a nap. The next thing I knew, it was time to go home. 

Mark drove us home, and Jack helped me bake the cookies for the party. Once they were finished and cooling, and only a few had been sampled, I headed back to the bedroom to change into my costume. I put the shoulder strap harness on over my bra, before putting the two shirts on. I then put on my skirt. I was pleased with how I looked, and I went into the bathroom to fix my hair before adding the crown and donning my wings. The final touch was a pair of silver ballet flats and a touch of makeup, mostly just a little shimmering dust, some silver eye shadow, and some dark berry lipstick. I sprinkled a little of the body dust over my hair as well, making it sparkle slightly. I added a few chunky, funky bracelets and stepped down the hall to plate the cookies. As I passed by the front bathroom, I heard Mark singing in the shower and grinned. Jack was waiting in the kitchen, already in his costume. He was dressed as a king, crown, cape, and scepter included. I smiled and curtsied to him. "My king."

He grinned and bowed to me. "My fairy queen." I giggled and we plated the cookies, grabbing a big bag for the rest of the extra large batch and storing them for later. Mark joined us a few minutes later. He was also dressed as a king. I repeated the process Jack and I had already gone through and giggled when Jack and Mark bowed to each other. Jack and Mark each laced an arm through mine and Jack grabbed the platter of cookies. We headed out the front door, Mark locking up and pocketing the keys. I doubted we would be back late, but it was nice to know I wouldn't be the one responsible for making sure we all got in okay. We walked up to Suzy and Arin's apartment and rang the doorbell. Suzy ushered us in with a smile. Jack handed her the cookies. "Here ye are, as requested. Freshly baked this evening."

Suzy smiled. "Thanks Jack. I'm a little surprised you were the one entrusted with carrying them over." 

I laughed. "He helped bake them." I extracted my arms from the guys. "Do you need any help getting things set out?" Suzy nodded and I followed her to the kitchen. We were arranging things on the table when I saw Dan head over towards Jack and Mark, a look on his face that said trouble may be on the way. I started to call out, but decided against it. Dan knew I would be able to see him and I doubted any of them wanted to face the consequences of a fight in front of all our friends. Suzy watched and noted my reaction. She raised her eyebrows at me. I sighed. "I decided to let Dan talk to them. He's not too please with the two of them at the moment I suspect." Suzy kept looking at me. I blushed.

She opened her eyes wide. "Oh my god. You're pregnant aren't you?" I nodded. "Oh my goodness. Congratulations! Oh, Danny won't permanently damage them, I don't think. He probably going to embarrass the hell out of them though. And quite possibly make them sit through a condom demonstration." My blush got brighter. Suzy chuckled. 

"Actually, Dan seemed pretty okay with things when I talked to him about it yesterday. I wonder what changed his mind between then and now?"

Suzy smiled. "Probably nothing, but he treats you like his little sister, so he's going to react like an overprotective brother. I'm just glad you're happy about it. He would probably be beating the living daylights out of them otherwise. You are happy about it, aren't you?"

I nodded. "A little overwhelmed, but yeah, we're all really excited. I just can't believe I'm going to be a mother in a few month time. And to four babies."

Suzy's jaw dropped. "Four babies? You're having four?"

I showed her the picture, which I had tucked into my skirt pocket. "See? Two sets of identical twins." I smiled again. "So far everyone has been amazing about it. Even my boss at work. I told her earlier today because I am feeling overworked. She told me we could hire two or three more editors, freeing me up a lot. Which is also good because I'm going to be on the show starting at the end of this season. They are going to work me and my pregnancy in for next season's plot."

Suzy smiled at me. "I'm glad to see you are being sensible about this and not trying to do so much. Arin and I have been worried you were just going to collapse in a heap one day from trying to be eight people at once."

"Speaking of Arin, I should probably go tell him the news too. " I told Suzy I would talk to her later and stepped over to the table with the drinks, where Arin was setting things up. He looked up and smiled at me. "Hi Arin. How are you doing tonight?"

"Hey [y/n], I'm great. What can I get you to drink?"

"I'll just have a diet soda, please." Arin raised and eyebrow as he handed me my drink.

"Is there a story behind that, or are you planning on driving somewhere later?"

"Um, actually, I'm pregnant, so it would be bad for the babies."

Arin grinned at me for a second. Then he looked confused. "Wait, you're serious?" I nodded. Then the other shoe dropped. "BABIES? More than one?" I grinned back at him and nodded again. His grin came back. "How many are we talking about here? Two?" I shook my head. "Three?" Again, shook my head. "FOUR?"

"Yes. I'm having two sets of identical twins." I blushed and noticed he was looking at my tummy.

"I can't tell if it's my imagination, or if you are already getting a little bump. Now that I know, I swear I see one." 

"It's super tiny right now. It's not going to stay that way though. I just told Suzy, and she was happy for us. Jack and Mark have been great. Speaking of them, I think I might need to go rescue them. Dan was headed their way with quite the facial expression that boded no go for their continued well being. I'm going to need their help with four babies to manage, plus work. I'll talk to you later Arin." I spotted Jack and Mark, sitting in a corner, with Dan looming over top of them. I walked over slowly, avoiding any of their notice. I wanted to hear what Dan was saying. 

"...of all the irresponsible, stupid things you could do, why this one? Were you trying to screw up all your lives. One baby would be bad enough to derail your careers, but four? How the hell did you even manage that?" He paused for breath and I noticed Jack and Mark were staring at the ground. Dan was glaring down at them. I chose that moment to swoop in and rescue them. 

"Dan, they didn't plan it you big dummy. Now stop yelling at them. IF I think they need it, I am more than capable of doing so, in far more creative language than you just used. Right now, you're the one who I want to yell at. " I crossed my arms and glared at him. "What gives you the right to come in and try to scare them off? How does that help me or my babies? And just what was your next move, once you scared them off, exactly?"

Dan opened his mouth, thought for a second and closed it. I continued to give him a stern look. He dropped his gaze to his feet and mumbled "I'm sorry."

I looked at him. "Who are you apologizing to? Me, or them? And speak up."

"Sorry guys. I guess I was out of line. Sorry to you too, [y/n]. I didn't think how this might effect you." 

"Alright, you doof. I forgive you, but keep this in mind, I can fight my own battles. I have even been known to slay a dragon here and there."

Suzy walked over and whispered in my ear "Oh god, that was hilarious. He looked just like a little kid getting yelled at by his mom. You got the mom attitude down already!" I turned to her and winked. Then I looked over at Jack and Mark. They were looking extremely guilty and refused to look at me. I sighed and hopped onto the couch, landing on their laps, partway between each of them, hanging on one of each of their legs. I pulled them both in for a hug. 

"Hey, come here, both of you. I know we didn't plan this, but I'm excited none the less. Did I tell you, I talked to Vicki today?" They looked at me surprised at the change of subject. "I get to hire more minions. At least two of them to take over the editing. That means my kingdom will grow and I will just be in charge of the department, promos, my own channel, and the added stuff that I need to do when they film me for the show. Jack you're going to have a new editor, and so will you Mark. I'm going to train them, but it's going to free me up a lot." I grinned at them. That means I'm going to be able to take it easier for a while once we hire some people. Vicki even offered to hire an editor for me, if I want one. I told her no for now, but I'm tempted to change my mind. I don't mind editing, but it's not my favorite job, I would rather make new content and animate." 

Jack hugged me back and looked relieved. "That's great, love. Ye told us earlier, but we were still worried about ye overworking, and now ye seem really happy about it. And thank ye for tha rescue."

Mark added "Yeah. Danny was making us feel like crap. We feel bad enough already. We know you didn't plan on this right now. And it's our fault."

I kissed them both, sweetly and gently. "Hey, I don't want to hear you talk that way. It's an amazing adventure. Unexpected, sure, but I think it's going to be a lot of fun. Now, come on, let's party while I feel up to it. I may suddenly need someone to carry me home because I'm too tired or the nausea make come back so, let's enjoy whatever time we can manage." 

Jack agreed and took me by the hand, whisking me off to go dance. Mark smiled, but stayed where he was for a few minutes. Jack looked at him and shook his head. "I don't know why Danny got ta Mark so much just now. Although he was pretty terrifying and his arguments were all things Mark and I were feeling, but not saying. Maybe that was all it is, but I think something is going on in Mark's head, and I don't like it."

I leaned in and kissed Jack. "Hopefully, he will come talk to us when he's ready. We can't do much at this point other than point out the things I just did and make sure he knows we love him." Jack and I danced for a while before Jack went to go get some food. I walked back over and sat down on Mark's lap. "Hey Markimoo. How's my love doing? Are you thinking hard, or sulking? This is a party you know, so you should be having some fun." 

Mark looked at me, clearly not happy about something. He looked slightly haunted. "Is Danny right? Are we totally screwing up your life forever?"

I put my hands up and cradled his face, putting his forehead to my lips for a kiss. "No babe, he's not right at all. I am still going to do whatever I want to do, for work or in my personal life. This may actually just boost my YouTube career to new heights. I'm going to have more time for it, not less, and I'm planning on announcing my pregnancy on the channel soon. I'm going to document every step of this on my channel. I haven't talked to you and Jack yet, but I plan on keeping you two out of it, on YouTube anyway, unless you want to be included on my channel. Now, I've always wanted kids, so this is just a matter of getting what I want at a different time then I expected." 

Mark smiled at me and pulled me in for a long kiss. "Thank you. You don't know how much I needed to hear all that. I felt like my inner demons were winning and you must really hate Jack and I, you were just hiding it to be polite."

"I love you both more than I can ever say Mark. I hope you and Jack remember that. Pregnancy can do some pretty screwed up things to a woman's brain. I may occasionally make the two of you crazy. Please be patient. I may be hormonal. I'm sorry. I'm trapped in a body I have to share now with some pretty demanding roommates and I may not always be in control or able to keep it together. You two are my rocks, and I need you more than ever. So thank you for being here for me." 

Jack had walked up with the food for all of us and heard my little speech. "We love ye too, [y/n]. More than I could believe, I love ye. You are tha most amazing woman in tha world." He leaned in and gave me a big hug. Mark hugged me as well, nodding with tears in his eyes. We sat together on the couch for the rest of the evening, chatting with other people occasionally if they came over, but mostly just supporting each other and sharing the love in our hearts. We headed home early, pleading exhaustion on my part, which wasn't even a lie. As I got ready for bed, Jack and Mark were watching me. Jack said something right as I climbed into bed. "I think yer baby bump is growing, love. And yer boobs look bigger." I grinned and swatted him, getting comfy in the bed. Of course that is what he would notice. I drifted off to sleep with two sets of arms around me and six hands on my baby bump, a smile on my lips.


	38. Meeting Momiplier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark's mom arrives to meet you and she stays for a while.

Mark's mother arrived on the Friday afternoon after Halloween. Mark went to the airport to pick her up, Jack and I riding along in the back seat for support and to meet her for the first time. I was excited and nervous, and judging from Jack's face, he felt the same. We cuddled a little as we rode, our hands interlocked over my growing baby bump. It was still tiny, but definitely noticeable depending on what I wore. I had already stored most of my tight fitting clothes away until after I had the babies and was back down to a lower weight. I was currently wearing a long, loose, cowl-necked, super soft, purple sweater with a long, flowing, black skirt and a pair of black flats. It was a warm and comfortable outfit. The air outside was still the mild temperatures of LA in the fall, but I was still chilly most of the time, so I usually dressed as warmly as was comfortable. I was actually a little nervous about Thanksgiving and our upcoming vacation because we would be traveling into much colder weather, but I supposed I could always use my two boyfriends as heat sources. It would probably amuse our families no end. Jack was leaning on me tracing invisible patterns with his free hand on my baby bump for the whole trip to the airport. I smiled at him as we arrived at the outer edges of LAX. Mark's mother's plane was due to land in ten minutes and we still didn't know what gate we were headed to. Mark followed the signs as Jack and I mentally prepared. Suddenly, Mark swore and pulled over. His mother was trying to flag down a taxi from the gate just ahead of us. Once he was parked in the loading area, he waved and called out to her. She saw him and ran over, pulling him into a tight hug. Jack and I had stayed where we were, not knowing what was going on at first and then being told to just stay put by two sets of matching eyes. I looked at Jack. He grinned. "Bossy aren't they?"

I chuckled. "Yeah, but I don't really want to move so, I'm okay with it. I'm pretty comfy right here. How about you?"

He leaned forward just slightly and kissed the tip of my nose. "Of course, love. I'd let ye know otherwise." I smiled and we settled back waiting as Mark loaded the three suitcases his mother had brought into the trunk of the car. Once they were in, she climbed in the front seat and turned around to look at us, an enormous smile on her face. We started to sit up straight but she immediately stopped us. "No, no. Don't move. You two look adorably comfortable. I just wanted to see if you looked the same in person as I imagined from the computer screen. And you do, except... ...yes, you do have a little bit of a baby bump don't you? And how far along are you?"

I blushed. "The doctor said she thinks about seven weeks. She will have a better idea when I go in for the next ultrasound and checkup. It's in two weeks. She said we will probably be able to see the actual babies by that point!" I grinned excitedly and everyone else grinned too, my enthusiasm seeming contagious. 

Mark's mom settled in her seat and buckled up, since Mark had gotten back in and was getting ready to drive us home. "Can I come to the appointment with you? Oh, wait how many people can you take in with you? I don't want to bump either of these two out if they only have limited space in the room."

"Um, I'm not actually sure. I'll have to call and check. If they let me, I'd be glad to have all of you there. Even if it is hard to explain." I sighed, hoping the doctor wouldn't be too judgemental. She seemed nice enough, but that didn't always mean people stayed that way. She might jump to false assumptions if I showed up with my two lovers and a mother in tow. I swallowed a lump in my throat. Then I shook myself, mentally at least, and changed the subject. "So, ma'am, how long are you going to be staying for? I know you had said a couple of weeks, but I was just curious exactly how long it really is. You can stay either with us in my guest room, or next door in Jack's mostly empty apartment." I turned to Jack. "You know, we probably ought to just go ahead and move your stuff into my apartment, except the large furniture. Then you could sublet, or even drop the rental all together."

Jack smiled at me. "Love, the TV show is paying the lease as part of my contract. I can' just lease it out either. But we could use it as extra storage and a spare room when we have guest. Then we could use yer spare as a nursery." I smiled over at him. Mark nodded, looking thoughtful. "I would love to move my thing into the apartment though. I kind of hate running back and forth. Have ye got room in yer closet for my stuff, or should I unpack in tha spare room?"

"I can make room for you, Jack. Mark, the same offer goes for you, although, we might need to start thinking about renting a whole house, or even buying something of our own. It's not like any of us are lacking job security right now."

Mark's mother clapped her hands. "This is so exciting. Can I help you look? Oh, and please don't call me ma'am. Call me mom or Momiplier, if you must. I already told you. And I'm here until at least Thanksgiving. Thomas is spending the holiday with his wife's family, so actually I was hoping to spend it with you all, unless you have other plans." 

I giggled slightly. "Sorry, I forgot. You are welcome to help us search, if you want. And, actually, we do have Thanksgiving plans. We are flying out to spend the holiday with my family on the East Coast, but I can get you invited as well, if you want. Then you could just stop fly home from there. We'll have to fly back to LA for a few days, or at least Jack and Mark will, then we are flying to visit you and Mark's Cincinnati friends and family for a little while. Let me talk to Vicki, I might have an idea that would be a lot less stressful for me, rather than flying back and forth so many times." If Vicki okayed it, maybe we could film the episode I was going to be in before Thanksgiving, or at least my parts, and then I could fly back with Mark's mother. The guys could join me when they finished the rest of the filming. I doubted it would cause any problems and I could work remotely for the extra week. The extra flying worried me a little, since the stress on my body would be a lot more with the pregnancy to consider. 

Jack shifted positions a bit and pulled me more into his lap. "Have ye even checked with the doctor ta see if flying is safe?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Jack. I did. It's fine, but jet lag is likely to be a lot worse for me than for you guys. And it's likely to make the morning sickness flare up." I leaned up and kissed him. "You know I wouldn't do anything that might hurt the babies, even if it means missing some family time. We'll find a way to make this work, I promise."

Mark smiled at us in the mirror. "I'm glad your being sensible. Jack and I worry, probably too much, that this is going to be more than you can handle or the stress is going to cause you more problems. After all you do still have a heart condition. Have you called your cardiologist yet?"

"Yes, Mark. And I have an appointment for a check up next week. Although, he didn't seem too concerned, even when I mentioned it was multiple babies. I should be fine. Now, what should we do for dinner this evening? Unless, Momiplier, you are too tired, and just want to go home and take a nap? I certainly wouldn't be opposed to that." I yawned. The fatigue was back again. 

Mark's mother grinned at me. "Thanks dear. Actually, I could eat, but a nap first sounds good, and it looks like you need one as well. Let's get me settled and a few quick naps and then we can decide about food." We all nodded agreement, and I shifted my head a little, using Jack as a pillow. I was just going to rest, not nap until we got home, but Jack started humming softly and stroking a hand down my hair in a very soothing manner. Mark and his mother were chatting very quietly in the front seat. It was so soothing I was asleep in just minutes. I slept the whole way home.

I woke up when Jack moved to get out of the car. I blinked, a little surprised we were home, and started to get out, but I stumbled slightly in my sleepy state, until Jack caught me and helped me out. Mark came around and had me lean on him while Jack unloaded the luggage and carried it up to his apartment. He lead Mark's mom in, grabbed a few things, and gave her the keys, telling her it was all hers until she was ready to leave, but that our door was always open as well, pointing to our apartment. Mark lead me up to our door while Jack was doing this and got me inside. I curled up on the couch, in my usual napping spot and fell back asleep immediately. I felt Mark sit down next to me just as sleep completely overtook me. He pulled me in for cuddles and a quick kiss on the forehead, and I knew no more until I awoke to the smell of someone cooking chicken. I yawned and stretched, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. Mark, still sitting next to me, was using his laptop and he reached over and patted my leg. "Have a good nap, love?"

I nodded. "Is Jack cooking?"

Momiplier laughed from the kitchen. She had heard the question and popped her head out. "No, I sent him over to finish moving his things in here. Mark offered to help, but I got this. I love cooking, and it's so nice to cook for more than just one person. You have a great kitchen by the way."

I smiled and stood up. I needed to use the bathroom, so I excused myself, and when I came back, I went in the kitchen to get a drink and see what I could do to help her. I smiled, watching her move around my kitchen, totally relaxed and at home. "Thanks for cooking, but I feel guilty. You are our guest! You don't have to do that. And I'm sorry for falling asleep in the car like that. I have just been extremely tired, ever since I knew I was actually pregnant and the symptoms started. At least the nausea is under control now, thanks to the medication the doctor gave me. What can I do to help?'

She grinned at me. "Sit down and work on growing those grandbabies of mine. I got the food. We are having chicken and dumplings. They just need to cook for a while more." I smiled knowing it was Mark's favorite. "So tell me a little about yourself, dear. I feel like I should get to know you, especially since you're family now." She nodded at my stomach as she stirred a pan on the stove. "I mean, with the babies coming, you are definitely family. All I really know about you is you work with my son doing something about the TV show he is part of making. And you love him. And he loves you."

I smiled. "Yeah. I love both men. This has brought us all closer than I ever imagined too." I patted the baby bump. "I am the head of the camera and video department for the TV show, as well as being Jack's and Mark's editor for their YouTube videos. Actually, I won't be their editor much longer. I am hiring some additional staff to help with that since I have been overworking and my boss called me out on it. I also record videos and promo spots for the show, to post on my channel on YouTube, as well as creating animations. I was initially hired because our employer was impressed with the work I did creating a website, series of vlogs, and wedding video for her sister, who was one of the clients I had when I was still working in the greater Washington DC area. They hired me, moved me out here, and got me the apartment. That was last winter. Since then, I have been pretty busy, starting my YouTube channel and doing all my other work." I took a breath. "Other than working a lot, I like to make art, cook, and play video games. I spend most of my free time with Mark and Jack, although I do have some other friends out here now who I also hang out with. I am close to my family back east, so I am looking forward to visiting with them for Thanksgiving. It will be the first chance I have had to see them since I moved out here." 

Mark's mom nodded as she listened. "Okay, that's a pretty good thumbnail view of you, but I want some other details. Don't worry, I won't try to extract them all now. I'll be here a while and I can find things out as we go. Now, do you usually eat here in the kitchen, or on the couch in the living room. I noticed there really isn't a place for a dining room table in this apartment, so I'm going to assume you all eat one of those two places, unless there is more rooms that I haven't seen?"

"No, we usually eat dinner on the couch, around the coffee table. A lot of the time, we eat breakfast or lunch at the island in here, but not usually dinner. I usually put the food on this pass-through and we carry the plates in the other room. Should I go ahead and get the plates, glasses, and silverware out?"

"Go ahead dear. Dinner will be in about fifteen minutes. Go find Jack and tell him please, and ask Mark to wash up too." I nodded and set the dishes out, along with napkins and silverware. Then I went off to find Jack.

He ended up being in the bedroom, loading boxes in the closet. I walked in, saw him, and called out a warning. "Jack, sweetie, please be careful. I can't handle you being hospitalized again for a falling box. Just put them on the floor of the closet and we can move them later if we need too. That is a huge closet after all, and I barely have anything in there."

Jack looked at me and smiled tiredly. "Hey, love. I am being careful. I'll leave the heavy stuff on the floor for now, but some of this stuff is just electronics cords, so it's light and bulky. I'm almost done."

"Good. Momiplier says dinner's almost ready." Jack grinned when I used that name for Mark's mom. "She's really nice. Jack, you need a shower before dinner. You're covered in sweat and dust! Finish up and come join us as soon as you're ready okay? Love you." I blew him a kiss and walked back to the living room. Mark was sitting on the couch, his ankles crossed on the coffee table, laptop in his lap. He was looking at Twitter and answering a few comments. "Mark, your mom says dinners almost ready and you need to go wash up." I leaned over the back of the couch and stole a kiss. "I really like her by the way."

Mark grinned as he set his laptop aside. "Good. She likes you too. She told us in the car how sensible you seemed. And she told us we better take really good care of you, because you were special. Like we needed told." He reached for me, probably to steal another kiss, but I danced out of reach, heading for the kitchen. He pouted slightly and went to go wash up.

We had a lovely meal, with fun dinner conversation. Momiplier wanted to get to know Jack and I better, so she asked plenty of questions. We answered and asked her lots of questions as well. By the end of the evening, she and I were both yawning. Jet lag had definitely caught up to her and pregnancy was kicking my butt. we said our good nights and both of us headed to our beds. The boys stayed up for a while longer talking and watching TV, from what they told me later. I had no idea, because as soon as I got back to the bedroom, I took a quick shower and climbed into bed. I had brought my phone back with me and I sleepily checked social media for a few minutes before nodding off, reminding myself I still needed to do a pregnancy announcement vlog for my channel before it became too obvious. 

The rest of the weekend past in a flurry of activity. We took Mark's mother out to several tourist type places, out to eat, and just spent as much time as we could. I stayed behind on one of the outing because of a terrible bout of morning sickness on Sunday morning, but I insisted the rest of them go out as planned. When Monday rolled around, we got ready for work as usual. I knew I was going to have a busy day. By the end of the day on Friday, or at least by the time I left, we had already gotten six resumes of qualified applicants and I was supposed to start interviewing this afternoon. I was going to leave two videos unedited on purpose and film a few of my own to have the potential candidates show me what they could do. Mark and Jack would meet any final selections in the round two interviews unless I asked them to come in for one today. They actually were free this afternoon, since the TV show was filming a few scenes they weren't in, but I wanted to narrow the prospects down a little before they got dragged into things. Jack and I recorded three games together before I called a stop for the morning. Jack then recorded a reading comments video and handed all his videos in to me. Mark had recorded his gameplay videos, turning them in as soon as he went on his morning break. I gathered all the footage in my office and edited everything except a longer gaming video each. By the time I finished, it was lunchtime, so I put things in the queue to render, stood up, stretched, and went over to grab food from the fridge. Mark had gone out and gotten take out from the grocery store during his morning break, so the fridge was fully stocked. I picked out a yogurt parfait, a strawberry, spinach, and grilled chicken salad, and a bottle of unsweetened fruit tea. Jack sat down next to me with a sub sandwich and a bag of potato chips. Mark grabbed a plate with fried chicken, potato salad, and baked beans. Both of them poured themselves some coffee to go with their meals. Wade and Bob came in and joined us, bringing their own lunches. We all ate, chatting about a new video game we were all enjoying. Before long it was time for Bob and Wade to head down to the TV set to record. Jack and Mark were going to head to their offices to work on social media updating. I was going to record two short videos and start the interviews. I got to it. I recorded a promotional vlog first announcing I would be on the second season of the TV show, starting with a brief appearance at the end of season one. Once I finished that one, I transferred it to my computer and sat down to record a second vlog, a personal one. It was time to tell my fans I was expecting the babies. I kept it short and sweet, just telling them I wanted to take them along on this journey, and although it was very early, I felt the need to share everything I could. Then I informed them I would NOT be sharing any information about any potential fathers and that I hoped they would respect my privacy on the matter. I signed off with my usual ending, stopping the recording, and transferring the video, just as the first potential editor showed up for his interview.

I introduced myself to him right away. "Hi, I'm [y/n]. I'll be your direct supervisor and boss, if you get hired."

"Hello [y/n]. I'm Jerry Fieldsman." 

"Come on in Jerry." I waved him into my office. "Now, I've been over everyone's resumes pretty thoroughly, so I know everyone is qualified for the positions. I would like to know what you feel your strengths are, what makes you a good fit for this job, and what you want to get out of this experience. If you have any questions feel free to ask. After we finish talking here, I have a video I would like to edit with you, or have you edit, so I can get a sense of your work and work speed, if that's alright with you."

Jerry nodded. "Sure." He launched into a detailed explanation of his background and experience, answering most of my questions before I even needed to ask them. He asked a few questions of his own, which I answered, and we eventually concluded this part of the interview. I was very favorably impressed. I asked him to go get comfortable in front of my desk for a moment, having made sure I was not logged in to my computer on the other side, and went out to bring Mark in on this. I thought he would be a good fit for Mark's videos, if he was up to the standards he was claiming, but I wanted to make sure Mark was comfortable with this. Mark jumped at the opportunity to meet the potential hire and we headed back to my office. I grabbed one of the spare editing computers and logged in to the shared editing account, placing it in front of Jerry. I introduced Jerry to Mark, and transferred the unedited video to the laptop in front of Jerry, asking him to start editing. I watched, making a few comments, but wanting to see what he did and how he did it. He was relatively fast, but Mark did have some criticisms. I told Jerry we would let him know, and showed him out to the elevator. I had ten minutes before the next candidate was to arrive, so I looked at Mark and asked him what he thought.

Mark made a face. "Maybe. I don't know. I'd have to think about it for a while." I nodded. That was pretty much what I expected. I saved the edited version of the file on a separate flash drive with Jerry's name. Then I transferred a second copy of the original to another flash drive. I did the same with two flash drives, copying Jack's video over. I put blank labels on each one. Then I walked out to the elevator to meet the next potential editor. It was a man named Adam Colby. 

I greeted him as soon as he stepped off the elevator, repeating the same information I had given Jerry. I took him back to my office and conducted the interview. When I was done, I led him over to the guest computer and texted Jack, asking him to come in and meet a potential editor. I had a better feeling about Adam than I had with Jerry, and my feeling proved to be spot on. Adam was very fast, almost as quick as me, and didn't need much direction for editing. He was open to criticism, offering to fix the few things we pointed out we would have done differently, and I let him. I thanked him and asked him to step into the hall for a minute, before turning to Jack. Jack and I had a wordless conversation until the door closed behind Adam and I leaned in and whispered "I think he would be a really good fit as your editor, especially if he's my backup or I'm his backup after a few weeks. What do you think? It looked like you were trying to tell me to hire him, but I want to double check."

Jack nodded. "Yeah. He's really good, and I will definitely be able to work with him, even if you aren't here. Do you need to talk to Vicki before you offer him the job?"

I shook my head. "Let's bring him back in and see if he wants the job, which considering the hiring offer we are giving, he will probably take." Jack opened the door and ushered Adam back in. I stood up from behind my desk and held out my hand for a handshake. "Well, Adam is was great to meet you. I have some good news for you. If you want the job, it's yours. I will take you over to our manager and head of the studio to introduce you and fill out the paperwork. This," I wrote down a number, followed by another number" is your starting salary, and the number below it is the signing bonus or moving expense allowance we provide. So, are you interested?" I placed a hand over my baby bump without realizing it while I waited for an answer. Jack saw and winked at me, making me realize what I had done. I looked at him and shrugged slightly. I wasn't hiding it. it just hadn't come up yet.

Adam was busy staring at the slip of paper. His eyes were huge. He swallowed several times and finally looked up. "Yes! I'll take it. When do I start?"

I laughed. "As soon as your paperwork is filled out, I think. Do you have an apartment nearby, or do you need to find one? The company can help with that if needed, it can even be taken directly from the pay if you want. I'll let you discuss that with HR and our manager however. Welcome aboard Adam." We shook hands and he got up, following me over to Vicki's office. "This is our manager, Vicki. She is the boss of everyone here for the TV show, so if you need something related to that, shes your woman. I'm the coordinator for all the YouTube projects and the camera and editing crew. Since you will be editing Jack's videos, you will report to him or I, since it's all YouTube stuff right now. We may eventually ask you to edit some of the TV show or a few videos for my channel, including promos for the show, but right now, it will just be the videos for Jack. We like to keep a large backlog, at least enough for a month without supplementing, in case something happens. That means, with the current video lead we have, I can give you until Thanksgiving to get into the swing of things. Jack usually records between three and six videos a day, weekdays only, unless he is working on longer Let's Play sessions, in which case he does two or three and a few shorter videos as well. I'll still be helping with the recording, at least for a while, so there won't be any pressure on you until you're ready." I smiled and knocked on Vicki's door. She asked us to come in, and I lead out group in. She smiled at me and I went through the introduction process. After I was finished introducing Adam to her, I told her he was Jack's new editor and asked if she could help him fill out the necessary paperwork. She quickly agreed, welcoming him and asked me if I wanted him to start the next day. "If he can manage it, yes. That will give us more time to get him into the swing of editing Jack's videos, and clear up my schedule a bit more. Now if you will both excuse me, I have a few more interviews for the other job openings to conduct." Vicki nodded and resumed Adam's new employee orientation. I left her to it, taking Jack along with me into the hall. I closed her door and walked back to my office, removing the flash drive, labeling it, and putting it with my computer to render and upload later. Jack watched for a minute before he walked over and gave me a quick kiss, smiling at me. I raised an eyebrow, wordlessly asking him what was up.

"I'm relieved, love. Adam seems like a really solid fit and ye will have some help. When's tha next interview?"

I looked at the schedule on my computer. "In fifteen minutes. Oh, I'm getting tired already. I should have planned this better." Jack lead me over to the couch and sat me down, sitting next to me and rubbing my shoulders. "That feels really good Jack. Thank you." He shushed me and I relaxed into him. Ten minutes later, I was more relaxed, if not rested, and ready to face the next person. This one was a young woman by the name of Danica Whalen.

I went out to the elevator to meet her. We repeated the process I had been through twice before. Danica was a soft-spoken black woman, with short hair and a quiet self-assured manner that was reassuring to work with. I immediately liked her and decided unless she was very slow, I was going to hire her, either for Mark, if they got along, or as my assistant and editor. I asked texted Mark to join us as soon as we concluded the interview portion of the day. Danica turned out to be a very good editor, but didn't fit Mark's style very well, which I guessed before I had her do any editing, selecting my promo video instead. I offered her the job as my editor and assistant. She would get the same package Adam had received. She gladly accepted, asking me to tell her girlfriend over the phone the good news. I smiled and complied, knowing it was also a test. Then I turned her over to Vicki for orientation. Adam was filling in the paperwork, having been given a tour and the verbal orientation already, so he was asked to step out to the secretaries desk to finish. He smiled and agreed, introducing himself to Danica as he went. Vicki looked at me and laughed. "You work fast! And I thought you were going to wait to hire an editor for yourself."

I blushed and grinned. "Vicki, I need the help. I'm getting to run down lately. And besides, Danica here is the perfect fit." Danica grinned. I left her in Vicki's hands, with the promise she too would start the next day. I sighed in relief and headed once for for my office. Mark was waiting. I smiled at him and went to the fridge for a drink before sitting down on the couch.

"Babe, you look worn out. How many more interviews do you have today?"

"A few more, unless the next one is a good fit for you." I smiled tiredly. Mark looked worried. "Don't worry. I'm okay. It's just been a long day." I took a drink. "Hey, do you want to go lead him in from the elevator? His name is Gary Richardson."

"Anything for you babe." He leaned over and kissed me before he left. I was hoping he would sit in on this interview, since he might be better able to shoot down any potential negative candidates before we got to the editing session, saving me forty five minutes or so. I could get a quick nap in, if that were possible. I yawned and drank my tea. Mark came back a few minutes later with Gary. I introduced myself and repeated the interview process yet again. Mark did stay this time and asked several questions. After the interview he lead Gary over and started the editing. Gary was fast and his style was exactly what Mark wanted so we hired him as well. I took him over to Vicki's office and told her this was the final hire, asking her to take down the ad. I was going to go do the same and call the other two candidates, cancelling the interviews. I was done for the day and completely exhausted. I checked to see if Gary could start immediately, which he could, and told him I would see him bright and early the next day. Then I headed back to my office one final time. I called the other candidates first, explaining the job was no longer open and thanking them for their applications and time, apologizing for the short notice. They took it fairly well and I was able to get off the phone in just a few minutes. I then went online and closed the job site advertisements, removing the postings. 

When all that was done, I went to the couch and just collapsed in a heap. Mark and Jack both came in to check on me, since they hadn't seen me go in or out of my office for a while. I was laying on my back on the couch, to tired to move. They fussed over me for several minutes, until I assured them I was just gathering my strength to get home and take a proper nap. Jack grinned and hauled my body into an upright position, over my protests. Then he sat down next to me and pulled me over to lean on him. He began giving me a back rub. I sighed and closed my eyes. This was very nice. Mark sat down as well, rubbing my feet. When I was relaxed almost to the point of falling asleep, Jack stood me up and walked me down the hall to the elevator, taking me home for the night. Mark ran around shutting down the computers in my office, and his and Jack's offices before joining us. I fell asleep on the ride home.


	39. Training Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With three new editors, surely you will be able to find some spare time now...
> 
> ..or not.

Gary, Danica, and Adam were all waiting in the parking lot when we pulled up the next morning. I noticed the raised eyebrows when they saw all three of us in the same car, but I chose to ignore it until later. I ushered them in, and directed them to my office. Their areas were not ready yet and since they would be shadowing me this week, I wasn't too concerned. I after I dropped off my purse, I took them on MY tour of the office. I knew that Vicki had showed them all around, but I wanted them to see what I thought would be the important areas of the office. I showed them the YouTubers' offices, my crews' area, and the block of cubicles where the editing I didn't handle was done. That is where they would be working, and I pointed out their desks. Then I showed them the recording studios, explaining why everyone used the particular studio they were in, and what some of the setup entail. Jack was just settling in to record when we passed through. I asked him his recording plans and he laid them out, a horror Let's play and a few flash games. I nodded. He asked me if I could assist with the flash game recordings and I told him I would have to see how the training was progressing. Next we stopped in Mark's studio, making sure he wasn't in the middle of recording. He wasn't so I checked with him and got his plans for the day. After we finished with that, I took my new editors back to my office. I pointed out three of the portable editing labs, asking them to bring them along, which they did. I made little name stickers for the stations and assigned them, one to each person. These would be theirs to use until their desks were ready, I explained. Then I sat down, gesturing for them to be seated as well. It was time to hammer out schedules. I turned to them and asked this question, "Okay. So far you all seem to be keeping up, but if you have any questions I need to hear them, so I can answer them. If not, it's time to talk schedules. What time do you think you should be getting here every morning?"

Danica looked at me first. "Well, you get here around eight, right? So we should get here then too?"

I shook my head. "Nope. Not unless you are working on edits from the previous day, or from the weekend. I'm here then because I help Jack and Mark work out recording issues. Also, I record my own stuff. Three days a week at least, I record with Jack, ever since he injured himself last spring. And I am here to let my crew in, in case someone forgets a key, or their security fob doesn't work. And I sometimes help Wade and Bob get settled in. Then I edit Jack's videos until lunch. If I finish early, I start on Mark's, otherwise they are what I work on after lunch, while the crew starts the TV work for the day. I pop in and check on them, work on my projects and channel, record the TV promos, coordinate the department schedules, and answer any crises that come up. I also push out the PR and arrange convention appearances. Since I have an open door policy, people pop in and out all afternoon, but usually the YouTubers and I have lunch together here in my office. I live in the same apartment complex as Jack, Wade, and Bob. Mark is over a lot too, and Jack, Mark, and I drive in together since we all have the same schedule. Wade and Bob don't come in until ten thirty or eleven. The three of you could probably do the same. This is not the typical nine-to-five job. There will be days you work insanely long hours, and others when you hardly work at all. " I looked at them, trying to make sure they understood. They were all staring at me, wide eyed. "What?"

Adam cleared his throat. "You do all that? By yourself?"

I grinned. "Usually, yes. Jack and Mark don't usually need a lot of editing, I think you will find. I would keep doing all of it myself, but I'm pregnant and it's just too much for me right now." Three sets of eyes zoomed to my abdomen. I could see the look of confusion on their faces and the look of panic on Danica's. "Calm down. I'm just under two months pregnant, so there will be plenty of time to get everyone trained. I'm just really exhausted right now because it's quadruplets. And Danica, even thought you are my assistant and editor, I won't expect you to do most of what I'm doing. Basically, you will be taking over my video editing and helping me record. I might have you send me emails and call me when I'm unable to actual be here in person, so I can stay on top of things, but that's probably going to be all." She looked relieved, but all of them were still staring at me with little open mouthed expressions. I smiled. "Listen, lately, I have been finishing as much editing as I can by mid-afternoon and taking a nap, because I'm just too tired to function otherwise. You will all have time to work on developing other editing skills if you want. I often work on my animations in my spare time. Now, come on over to my computer. I want to show you a few things." They walked over and tried to both gather around and give me a wide personal space bubble. I rolled my eyes. "Okay, look. I'm pregnant. It's not contagious and I'm not all that fragile. My friends like to treat me like I'll break at any second, but I'm fine. Now if you can't see, you can't learn. Get in here closer, people." They gathered closer. I showed them what software we used to edit, how the rendering process worked, and where to send the files after they were done rendering. Eventually, I might have them load them to the video queues, but not yet. I had them sit down at their stations and get familiar with things, making sure they could access everything and all their usernames and passwords were activated. While they did that, I walked out to the studios and peeked in on Jack and Mark. Mark was in between videos and his recording light was off. I knocked.

"Come on in babe. How's the training going?" I smiled tiredly.

"Fine. Hey are you done with your videos? I could really use you to go work with Gary on one, if you are done. If not, I will take anything you have done and work with him myself, but I need to get the other two going as well."

Mark nodded. "I just finished my last one for the day. I'll grab everything and head back to your office. Does Gary have a desk yet?" 

I smiled crookedly. "Sort of. You'll see when you get there. Oh, and I told them I was pregnant, but didn't say anything else. They haven't asked any questions yet, but I know they will eventually, so be prepared." I walked over and helped him untangle his headphones so he didn't trip, stealing a fast kiss as a reward, before I headed over to Jack's studio. I checked, his recording light was on, so I waited in the center booth for a few minutes. When it stayed on and he didn't look like he was finishing anytime soon, I headed back to my office, leaving a note for him to bring back what he had as soon as he was finished. Mark was talking to Gary when I got back and Danica and Adam were trying to look like they weren't eavesdropping. It brought a quick smile to my face, but I was so tired, it quickly vanished. I sat down with a groan and wheeled my chair over between Danica and Adam. "Okay guys. We have two options here. Danica you can help me edit a few videos of my own, get familiar with your setup and software, or you can watch Gary and Mark. Mark is going to be explaining what he wants and guiding the editing for the first video or two. Adam, Jack is still recording, so you can either work on getting familiar with the system and software or watch Mark and Gary, your call."

Adam volunteered to watch Mark and Gary. I nodded. Danica spoke up. "Actually, I want to edit, so if you have something for me to work on, that would be my first choice."

"Then follow me." I rolled back over to my desk. I opened my portable hard drive and showed her where the files were stored and how I labeled things. Then I gave her two videos on a flash drive, pulled my chair over behind her, and watched as she got to work. I made a few corrections, but mostly just let her do her own thing. She seemed to understand what I was going for after the corrections on the first video, editing the second exactly how I wanted. I smiled and she started rendering them. "Great. Thanks. Now that I see that you understand, I won't have to watch you work anymore. I will still be checking all the videos, at least for a while, but you'll be able to work without me looming over your shoulder." She grinned.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence. Do you have any more for me to do?" I nodded and handed over the portable hard drive, cautioning her she was probably going to have to wait to start anything else until the videos rendered. She nodded and began browsing my unedited videos, looking for what to work on next. I didn't have a huge stockpile, but there were at least ten, including multiple promo shots for the show. I checked on Mark, Gary, and Adam, but they were doing fine, so I got up and walked over to my couch, sitting down and grabbing a cold drink. I leaned back and closed my eyes, listening to Mark explain and correct how he liked his videos edited. A hand on my shoulder, made me open my eyes and lift my head. It was Jack.

"I saw yer note. Want me to get started with Adam?" I nodded. "Sure thing. Ye just rest. After I'm done here, can ye come record with me, or will someone need ye still?"

I smiled. "If you still need me, I'll be available." Jack's eyes darkened, lustful thoughts clearly going through his mind. I whispered "Jack, not that way. Besides, we are at work."

He shook his head to clear it and winked at me. "Just because we're at work, doesn't mean I don't think about ye like that. Now rest up." I grinned and closed my eyes again. I didn't fall asleep, and I was interrupted several times by various crew questions and problems, but I was able to just relax and recharge my energy a little before Jack was ready to record. I checked on Danica before we left. She had finished rendering the first two videos and was editing something else, but she had it under control, so I walked out with Jack, headed to the recording studio. He pulled the extra chair over for me and we sat down to play. We ended up doing three short games and I handed them to Jack to take back to Adam. I straightened the studio up and walked back, checking the time. It was almost one. Time to break for lunch. When I got in the office, I announced it was lunchtime. Adam, Danica, and Gary all looked up and blinked. Then they finished what they were doing, grabbed coats and keys and headed out to go get food. I headed over to the couch and sat down. Mark and Jack sat down with me, pulling food out and handing it around. A few minutes later Bob and Wade came in to eat with us as well.

Wade asked me who the new people were, and I explained. Wade grinned. "So superwoman finally admitted she needs help, hm? Good."

I grinned at him. "Well, I could keep doing it all myself, but I'm trying to save some energy for staying awake and growing four tiny humans. Oh and starting as a new cast member on a TV show. So, yeah, I am hiring some help now, before I am completely overwhelmed. No shush, I'm tired."

Bob laughed. "You're pregnant. Of course you're tired. And you're training three new people at once. Don't you ever do anything small and easy?"

That made everyone laugh and me blush. Mark answered for me before I could think of a response. "Nah. She's strictly a go big or go home type of gal." Then he smirked. "After all you know who she's dating." My blush got brighter.

I leaned over and whispered to him "Yeah, Jack." He looked vaguely offended and Wade and Bob nearly choked on their food at his expression. Jack raised and eyebrow, clearly asking me what I had said, but I just smiled sweetly at him and shook my head.

Mark, still spluttering, stood up and declared "I don't have to take this abuse, before moving over next to Jack and sitting back down. He pout and told Jack "She's so mean." Jack leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, patting his leg. Then he turned back to me and winked. Bob and Wade were still laughing so hard I was sure they were going to hurt themselves. Mark leaned into Jack and hugged him. "Thanks for protecting me from the mean, scary pregnant lady." That's when my new editors walked back in. Their expressions were priceless. Confusion, embarrassment, and interest warred across all three faces. Danica giggled slightly as well. Bob and Wade were trying to settle down, but failing miserably. I said nothing, keeping a cool exterior while I cracked up inside. Mark was blushing and trying to hide behind Jack. Jack was just sitting still as a stone, his face the color of Mark's hair.

After a few seconds of this awkwardness, I stood up, facing Adam, Danica, and Gary. "Are you three back to work already?" They nodded. I gestured to the computers. "Then have at it. I will be in and out of my office all afternoon, so ask any questions you have when you need to. I do have to go talk to Vicki at some point today, but there's no rush, and I might pop out to get some recording done, but mostly I'll be here." They nodded and sat down at their desks, in the corner. I turned back to my friends. Wade winked at me. Bob was still trying to stop laughing. Jack mouthed a thank you to me and Mark was hiding behind Jack still. Finally, Jack turned around and sat him up, pulling him in to whisper something to him and kissing him. I grinned and winked at the two of them. They were adorable.

Eventually, the guys had to go work on the show, so finished eating and stood up, walking over to check on everyone's progress. Since they were all doing just fine without me and none of my new editors seemed to need me right this minute I popped into Vicki's office, knocking before she told me to come in.

She looked up and grinned. "Have a seat [y/n]. You look like you need it." I smiled and sat down. "How goes the training? And what can I do for you?"

"The new editors are great. They should be perfect, but I wanted to check on a few things. When are their cubicles or offices going to be finished?"

"I can put a rush on them, and have them done by tomorrow afternoon if you want." I nodded. 

"Great. I feel like my office is kind of overcrowded with everyone in there. Next question, how difficult would it be to film the scenes with me before Thanksgiving? I am flying home for the holiday and would rather not have to fly back to work for two or three days and then fly again right afterward. The jet lag is going to make it hell, and my morning sickness is going to be bad, according to the doctor."

Vicki looked thoughtful. "It shouldn't be a problem. and we can give you those few extra days without any problem either if that was your next question." I smiled and nodded. This would be much easier than I thought. "Okay, so you'll be off from the Monday before Thanksgiving to the third week of January. Got it. Anything else?"

"Not right now. Thanks boss."

"Hey, no problem. You do more work than any two other people around here most of the time. Now got get those new recruits in order and try to take it easy, okay? I'll see you later." I waved as I walked out, nodding at her instructions.

The rest of the afternoon past in a flurry of activity. I recorded two more videos, one gaming video and another vlog. I checked everyone's editing work and added the videos to the queues. I worked on a new animation. By the time I was done for the day, I was so tired I could barely see straight. I had sent Adam, Danica, and Gary home at four, seeing they were mostly done for the day, but I stayed until six thirty when everyone else finished with the TV show recording. I did manage to take a short nap at six, but was already awake when Jack and Mark came in to take me home. They looked at me, clearly worried. I tried to assure them I was fine, but they weren't believing me for a second. They loaded me into the back seat of the car, got themselves in, and Jack pulled me down into his lap, making me lay across him. He stroked my hair and made me close my eyes. Mark had to make a few stops on the way home, for food and gas, and I fell asleep under Jack's watchful eyes and gentle hands. I didn't even wake up when they carried me inside. The smell of dinner cooking is what finally dragged me out of my sleeping state. Mark and Jack had laid me down on the couch under my blanket, but they weren't within view when I opened my eyes. I stretched as I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes and face, before heading into the kitchen. Mark's mom was in there, heating up a pan of frozen lasagna and tossing a salad. I smiled and sat down at the island. "Where are Jack and Mark?" I yawned.

Mark's mom smiled at me. "They went back to the bedroom. I didn't ask too many questions. Are you okay? You were pretty exhausted looking when they carried you in. " I nodded. "Good, but I'm not sure I really believe that. Now, I noticed you have some very full freezers. Who cooked all this food?"

I smiled. "I did. I go on cooking sprees and tend to stock the freezers whenever I can squeeze the time in. I told you I like to cook. I haven't been up to it much lately. Jack has gotten really good at helping me, and so has Mark. When I was sick before, Mark was able to feed us for almost every meal without resorting to takeout. We just took something out of the freezer and I told him how to cook it. We had homemade meals anytime we wanted them. It was nice." She smiled at me. "Actually, I tend to cook too much food. I have people over a lot because of it too. Dan, one of our friends and neighbors, stops by to beg leftovers several nights a week, because he knows we can never eat all I make."

She laughed. "I do the same thing. It's too hard to cook for just one person sometimes and so when I cook, I make way too much." She looked at me again. "Now, why don't you go sit back down on the couch and relax. Food won't be ready for a little while yet." I nodded and headed back out of the kitchen. Instead of going to the couch however, I wandered back to the bedroom, looking for my laptop. When I walked in, Mark and Jack were cuddling each other on the bed, napping. I smiled at the site and grabbed my computer, hauling it back out to the living room and setting it up. I briefly wondered if the boys had done more than just cuddle, but dismissed it since I wasn't up to any sexy time fun right now and thinking about it would just frustrate me. I launched my browser and began replying to social media. I worked on that until after dinner. Jack and Mark made me go to bed early and I fell asleep right away.

The rest of the week was pretty much the same, until Friday, when I had my cardiologist's appointment. I was cleared with a clean bill of health, but told I would need to keep the doctor updated about all the pregnancy news. I promised and headed home early, napping the entire afternoon away. When I woke up, I started making dinner, a stir fry of chicken, veggies, and tofu. I put the rice in the rice cooker at six fifteen and started it. I started cooking the stir fry at six thirty five. Mark's mom came over at quarter to seven, just five minutes before Jack and Mark got home, but by that time the food was already cooked, just being kept warm by a lid on the wok. We ate, everyone complimenting me on the food and asking how the doctor visit went. I went back on Twitter after dinner until I headed for bed. I was getting a lot of positive fan reactions about my pregnancy news, but also a lot of people demanding to know who the father was. I steadfastly ignored those comments. I spent the weekend answering social media and making a vlog responding to the comments, particularly the demanding nature of some of them. I mocked them, softly chiding the fact that it was really no ones business but mine and whoever made the babies. That was all I would say on the matter, other than I had already informed everyone who needed to know about the pregnancy except a few family members I was going to surprise on Thanksgiving. I did a super fast edit, rendered the video, and uploaded it. I figured eventually the fervor would die down.


	40. Doctor's Visit Number Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You go back to the obstetrician for a second visit.

The next week, the second full week of November, was crazy. I had so much to do, I have no idea how it all got done, but somehow it did. Besides making sure the new editors were all settled in and the upload schedule wasn't getting too off, I had to do my filming part for the show. I was a little nervous at first, but everything went pretty smoothly. I had told everyone I would be out of the office all morning on Friday for a doctor's appointment, but I was going to try to be back in time for afternoon filming and editing. If I couldn't make it back, I had plans to stop in on Saturday and work for a little while. If Jack and Mark would let me out of their sights long enough. They had gotten more and more overprotective as my small baby bump had gotten more noticeable. It was still small, but instead of looking two months pregnant, or, well, not pregnant at all, I looked like I was about four or five months pregnant. People could just see the bump under a baggy sweater, which is what I was usually wearing now. Mark's mother was over the moon, continually coming over and patting it gently while I sat on the couch at home. I really didn't mind, it was cute and her excitement was comforting. The biggest change I noticed was one I was struggling with. My breasts had gotten much larger and they were uncomfortably tender. I had to ask Mark's mother to go bra shopping with me because the guys wouldn't let me go anywhere alone. The new bras helped, but they were not as comfortably worn in as my old ones, and the larger cup size meant they needed to have more shoulder strap support. That gave me shoulder aches by the end of a long day, and lately everyday had been long. The only really good thing I had going on with the pregnancy right now was the vitamins seemed to have finally helped boost my energy levels. I was still exhausted most of the time, and needed almost daily naps, but the naps were shorter and I felt like less of a zombie the rest of the time. 

I had also thought that Twitter and YouTube would calm down after a few days, but I was completely wrong. Actually, the news of my pregnancy with quadruplets spread and I was rapidly gaining followers and subscribers. Not too rapidly, much to my relief, but between fifteen thousand and twenty-five thousand people were subscribing to my YouTube channel everyday. It was a little staggering. Vicki had asked me to start doing at least once a week baby updates on the channel, and my snarky replying to comments video went viral, as did my pregnancy announcement video, much to my amazement. I decided to make my responding to comments videos a regular feature as well, probably every other week on Friday or Saturday. I was very grateful I had requested hiring new people when I did. They had relieved a lot of the pressure from my work days and were already working without the need for constant supervision. In fact, I had approved all three of them to work remotely over the winter break, since no one else would be in the office anyway, and given them each their new laptops and personal portable hard drives. I could probably have given them access to the YouTube accounts as well, but I still wanted that control and final call on editing and upload order. Danica in particular was doing amazingly well with my videos and I found I enjoyed having the spare time to breathe a little. I had also given all three editors my cell phone number and personal email address in case something should come up that they needed to reach me urgently. I was confident it wouldn't, but I believe very firmly in being prepared for the unexpected.

One other unexpected turn of events came out of my viral YouTube pregnancy announcement. I had received offers from several large companies of free baby supplies like diapers, toys, clothes, and furniture. I had ask to see the terms of the deals, providing my personal p.o. box to the representatives just in case something was fishy, but so far they all looked legitimate. I wasn't sure how to react yet, since the contract offers hadn't yet arrived, but it was exciting and flattering to think the companies cared. I wasn't naive enough to believe they really did, and knew not only could they write off what ever they gave me as promotional expenses, but I was also sure they would be getting a boat load of free advertising from sending things to me in the first place. Still, it was flattering and free stuff was free stuff. If I got more than air needed, I could and would give things to charity. Actually, I had plans for doing a charity live stream for St. Judges while I was in Cincinnati in January. I had talked to Wade and Molly, and they wanted to do something while they were home too, so we had made a secret plan to meet and do a charity live stream on January eighth. I hadn't told Jack or Mark yet, and was waiting until I had all the details configuration armed before I presented it to them. I knew Wade was planning to ask Bob to join, but he hadn't mentioned Jack or Mark yet. I hoped he would assume I was going to ask them and not spring it on them at the wrong time. I was honestly surprised by how much the two men were worrying and fretting over me. It had started out cute and loving, but I was starting to feel smothered. I knew we still had a very long way to go on this pregnancy and at the rate they were going, I was going to be wrapped in a plastic bubble, shielded by cotton, and allowed no outside contact before I was even six months along.

On Friday morning, Mark and Jack left for work, while I got ready for the doctor's visit. I was excited and nervous. Today was going to be a long day. My appointment was scheduled for eleven thirty, but I needed to run some errands and buy some more new clothes. My pants were starting to feel a little snug, and I knew the babies were growing like crazy, so I knew I needed to buy some looser clothes now, before things got too tight, especially since I would be traveling soon. Fortunately, Mark's mom was already up and ready to go by the time we would need to leave to get to the mall as it opened. We headed to my favorite store and the maternity clothing stores first. I bought quite a number of new outfits and sweaters from the maternity shops, in a variety of sizes, so I wouldn't have to keep coming back. Mark's mom carried them out to the car while I headed to my favorite mall store, one that sold geek items and clothes. I browsed for about twenty five minutes, selecting another armload of stuff to buy before paying. We stopped on the way out of the mall and bought smoothies for a late breakfast. Then I drove us to my doctor's appointment. Jack and Mark were waiting in the parking lot when I pulled up. I had actually forgotten they knew what time my appointment was and were going to come, but I knew they were excited about the prospect of seeing the babies on the screen. I got out of the car and they rushed over to help me. I rolled my eyes and waved them away. "Mark, I'm fine. If you feel the need to go help someone, you could help your mother out of the car, instead of me. Jack, I got this. Now behave or I'll make you wait in the waiting room during the actual ultrasound." Both men pouted.

Mark's mom laughed. "You tell them [y/n]. You know what you need. They must be driving you crazy. Boys, listen to me. She will let you know when she needs something. All this constant hovering isn't helping her, the babies, or you. Relax. You still have a long way to go." I smiled my thanks and we all headed into the office. I had them all sit down while I got signed in. I was informed Dr. Sara would see me in just a few minutes, so I nodded and sat down. 

When the nurse came out to get me, she grinned when she saw the trail of people following me. I double checked that it was okay and she winked and told me normally they only allowed two other people back with the expectant mother, but they could make an exception just this once. I thanked her. She nodded and took my vital signs and weight. She led me to an exam room and had me sit up on the table. She asked if I was having any new symptoms since my last visit and if my morning sickness was an better with the pills. When she had all my information written down, she told me Dr. Sara would be right in, put my chart in the folder by the door, and stepped out. Jack and Mark took the chairs behind me, scooting them closer to each other and me. They were hold each others hands and I looked over at them and smiled reassuringly. They looked very nervous, and I wasn't sure why. Mark's mom sat down in the extra chair, folded her hands in her lap, and looked around. Dr. Sara came in a minute later, looking at my vhart as she came in. "Hello there. And how is our mommy to be doing today?"

I grinned. "I'm so not used to hearing myself called that. The pregnancy certainly feels real to me, but you're the first person to call me a mommy to be. And to be perfectly honest, I'm tired. The vitamins have started to help, but I'm still tired most of the time. Even on days when all I do is sleep, or so it seems." 

Dr. Sara raised her eyebrows at that. "Hmm. I know you're carrying four babies in there, but I want to run some lab tests to make sure you don't have something else going on. You probably shouldn't be that tired. Now who are these lovely guests? Is one of them the daddy to be?"

I blushed. "Yes. These are my boyfriends, Jack and Mark."

Dr. Sara looked at me. "Boyfriends? Plural?" I nodded. "Well, you did say it was complicated. Well, then this nice lady must be one of their mothers. How do you do? I'm Dr. Sara Duval, but please just call me Dr. Sara. Since we have two prospective dads here, we will need to get complete medical histories from both of you. It will make things easier later." She walked over to the counter and grabbed two clipboards and pens. "Here you go. Please be as thorough as you can. We will talk about the details later in the visit. [Y/N] already did hers the last time she was here." Both men took the clipboards and started filling the sheets out. Dr. Sara asked me some questions and drew some blood, which she sent down to the lab on site with one of the nurses, while we waited for the information from Mark and Jack. Jack finished first and handed the clipboard back to the doctor. She took the page off and added it to my file, looking it over as she did so. Mark worked for a few more minutes before turning his page in as well. Dr. Sara did a physical examination and had me lift my shirt so she could feel my abdomen. She nodded to herself and had me lay back, pulling the ultrasound machine over. She smiled. "Everyone ready to see if we can see the little beans? They are still going to be tiny, mind you, but this will also give us a better idea of the actual due date for you. Here we go!' She put a dollop of the warmed gel on my belly and rubbed the wand over my small baby bump. I was slightly uncomfortable, because I really had to pee, having been told not to go this morning because of the ultrasound. Dr. Sara smiled as she found the babies. "Here we are. Yep, four little babies, all sweet and healthy looking so far. Let's see." She pulled out a little ruler which she held up to the screen. Well, just over two centimeters. That puts you at nine weeks I think. Oh, look." She pointed at something on the screen, I squinted, but couldn't tell what it was until she added "We can see the ears."

Mark and Jack were smiling hugely at me. Mark's mom was glued to the screen, not even blinking. I had a huge smile on my face as well and looked down at my baby bump in awe. "They have ears." I looked at Mark and Jack. "Our babies have ears." Mark nodded. Jack swallowed and a few tears of joy leaked down his face. They were just as amazed and awed as I was. Dr. Sara was smiling and she printed out pictures for all of us, and a few extra for me. She gave me a towel to wipe the gel off and stepped over to the desk in the corner to make some additional notes in my file. I wiped the gel off and then asked if I could go to the restroom. Dr. Sara smiled knowingly and nodded. Mark and Jack were headed over to the desk when I left and seated beside it with an empty chair in between them when I came back. They gestured me into the chair and I sat down.

Dr. Sara smiled at all of us. "Well, everything looks good so far. Now I'd like to keep a closer eye on you since you're carrying multiples than would be normal. Normally, I would schedule you for one visit every four to six weeks for a while and then increase to every two weeks, but I want to keep a closer eye on your pregnancy than that. I want to start with every three or four weeks for the next two months and then go up to every other week. We'll probably be on weekly visits later, but we can decide that when we need to later. Any questions?"

"Actually, Dr. Sara, we are going to be traveling for the holidays. Can the next appointment wait until after Christmas?"

Dr. Sara looked thoughtful. "I'd rather it be sooner, but if you are going to be away, I understand why you would need to wait. I suppose it won't be a problem. Call if you have any strange symptoms or anything out of the ordinary happens when you travel. And if you see any bleeding, seek immediate medical attention." I nodded rubbing my tummy. She smiled at me. "Fine. Let's say we set that appointment for the Friday after Christmas then, at noon?" We all nodded. Dr. Sara picked up the guys medical histories. "Okay, nothing out of the ordinary here. No histories of medical problems except the surgeries for you Mr. Fischbach. Okay, good. Now, does anyone other than our mommy to be have any questions while they are here?"

Both men looked at each other, me, and then the doctor. They flooded her with questions. I sat back and listened, slightly amused. Most of what they were asking were questions i could have answered for them, but they hadn't asked me. I looked back at Mark's mom and she winked. I chuckled to myself and rubbed my baby bump, soothingly. Eventually, Jack and Mark ran out of questions. Dr. Sara was smiling at me when here phone rang. She excused herself to answer it and came right back. "That was the lab. It seems the reason you have been feeling so tired is you have anemia. It's not uncommon, and I will give you a second vitamin supplement to take, or you can pick some over the counter iron tablets up at the pharmacy. It should make a noticeable difference soon for you. If no one has any other questions, I'll see [y/n] on December twenty-eighth at noon. Bye!" We stood up to leave. I looked at the time and made a face. I didn't really have time to drive home and go back to the office for work. I handed my car keys to Mark's mom and explained. She smiled and promised to unload my purchases when she got back to my apartment. I thanked her and hugged her goodbye, handing her the copy of the ultrasound picture she would get to keep. I climbed in the car with the guys and we drove off to get some lunch and go back to work. We just had time to eat by the time we got back. After lunch, I went down and worked on the TV show all afternoon. We headed home after that and I was quite tired. Mark stopped and Jack ran in the local pharmacy to get me the iron supplements the doctor ordered. I took one as soon as we got home.


	41. The week before Thanksgiving

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo! Thanks for the over 5000 reads and 200 Kudos! I never thought that many people would read my stuff, let alone stop to comment or like it. *Kisses* and *Hugs* to all of you! *MWAH*

The week after my second obstetrician appointment was the last one I was working in the office until after the new year and the start of shooting season two. I was busy making sure everything was caught up and that everyone had my contact information for while I was going to be traveling. I wrapped up all my lose project ends, filmed extra promos reshot the scenes for the season finally that were rejected, and made sure Danica, Gary, and Adam were squared away. I gave Danica all the videos I had shot to be edited and sent back to me as she finished them. By the end of the week I was all caught up and ready to leave for vacation. Mark and Jack were going to need to come in on Monday morning to finish a few things up, or so they told me, but I was going to be spending Monday morning packing for our flight in the afternoon. Our plane was leaving at two, and I wanted to make sure anything we didn't get done over the weekend got done before we left. I was excited to be visiting my family, but also nervous to have them meet my boyfriends and share my news. 

As the week wore on, I found myself frequently relying on Mark's mother for assistance and support outside of work. I had still been trying to start a house hunt for our growing family, but so far the market wasn't particularly favorable for us. Mark had been spending so much time here that his dog, Chica, was basically living with Matt and Ryan. He would go over and visit with her several days a week when he needed to pick up clean clothes, check his mail, or go take care of something else at home. We had talked it over and decided that Chica was going to fly back East with us and stay with Momiplier until we came home in January. She would be flying on the same flight to Cincinnati that Momiplier and I would be taking, after the boys flew back to wrap filming for the season after Thanksgiving. I had been around Chica enough so she was friendly and always happy to see me. Friday after work, we all drove over to get Chica from Matt and Ryan. She jumped up on Jack, bowling him over and licked us all so many times we were covered in doggie drool and love. I climbed in the back seat with her as we drove home. She rode with her head in my lap, staring at me and wagging her tail the whole trip back. When we got back to my apartment, I lead Chica out to the patio, putting out her water dish and food. I went back inside to take a nap and Mark came out to play with her for a while. He clearly missed his puppy, making me more determined then ever to get a house for all of us that had a yard Chica could play in and space to grow. Jack joined Mark outside, playing with Chica. The last thing I saw as I drifted off to sleep was the two of them playing with the dog and stealing kisses. It was super sweet, making me fall asleep with a small smile on my lips. 

After dinner, Mark, Jack, Mark's mother, and I sat down to plan the following week. Momiplier and I would finish any packing, get Chica ready and load my car on Monday morning. Mark and Jack would come home from work, to be here by eleven thirty. We would drive to the airport followed by Wade and Molly, who would drive my car back from the airport. We would fly into DC and someone would be meeting us at the airport to take us back to my mother's house for our stay. Thanksgiving would be at one of my aunts and uncles houses, with all my extended relatives. Jack and Mark would be flying back on Saturday while Momiplier and I stayed with my family until our flight to Cincinnati on Wednesday. Then the guys would join us after filming wrapped again on Friday and we would spend another week with Mark's family and friends. From there we would be flying directly to Ireland to spend time with Jack's family until after Christmas. We would fly home to California for a week to take care of some things, visit my doctor, and visit our friends out here before flying back out to visit my family for the new year. We were going to end our visits by spending the remaining two weeks split between Mark's family and mine. Then we would fly back home with a few days to get back into the swing of things before filming picked back up. It was going to be a very busy two months. Momiplier also told us she wanted to come back either at the end of January or sometime in February to help with the house hunt and have an extended visit. 

Once we had our time off mapped out, I put my head down and closed my eyes. I was tired but not ready to go to bed yet. Jack came over and sat next to me, rubbing my shoulders. I sighed appreciatively and leaned into his embrace when he stopped. He looked at me and smiled. "I love ye, [y/n]." He leaned in and kissed me, sweet and gentle.

I returned his kiss. "I love you too, Jack. I'm sorry I've been such as tired mess lately. You and Mark have been great. I'm hopeful that I'll adjust to pregnancy soon and get back to being my more normal self." I leaned against him again. "I hate feeling useless, and lately that's exactly how I feel."

Mark came over and sat with us, behind Jack. He had obviously heard what we were saying, because this is what he responded with, "Babe, you can't control this. You're carrying four babies, not the usual one. We REALLY don't mind helping you. In fact, it make us feel useful. As much as you hate felling useless, that's how Jack and I feel about the pregnancy. So you handle that, and we can handle some of the rest. Okay? We feel kind of guilty that we put you in this position in the first place."

Jack nodded. "Love, we talked about this after ye went ta bed last night. Ye've been pushing yerself too hard. Please, let us help more."

I swallowed, fighting back emotions. Mark reached over and put his hand on my knee. "We know it's hard. You don't have to say anything right now, just let us take care of you as much as we can, okay? It's part of how we show we love you." Mark leaned his head on Jack's back, keeping his hand on my knee. "Snuggles are a good way too." He smiled as he said it. I tried to smile, but my emotions were still all over the place, and I think it was a little shakier than I would have preferred. I was going to blame the hormones. 

Mark's mom watched the whole exchange. "You're all correct here. There is too much for any one of you to handle. Heck, there may be more than two of you together could handle. But there are three of you supporting each other so none of you ever has to do this alone. And for that matter, you have an amazing network of friends and family willing to help, some of whom live in the same apartment complex as you. Just remember, there is no shame in asking for help when you need it. Or accepting help when it is offered sincerely. That's why I'm coming back after you get settled in again, to help with the house hunt and prepare for the babies."

I looked over at her. "Thank you. It means a lot to all of us. I know my mother will probably want to come out when it's closer to time, but there is so much I need advice about now, and it's hard to get in touch with her sometimes, because of the time differences. Jack's family can be hard to reach too. We're trying to make sure everyone is included, but... ...Well, we're doing the best we can."

Mark's mother smiled at all of us warmly. "You're doing an amazing job. You all rely on each other the way you should and you listen to each other. That's so important."

We all blushed a little. "It's been so nice having you here, able to help me figure out if what I'm going through is normal. I can't tell you how many times you helped reassure me, and you knew when it was something to talk to the doctor about, like the fatigue issue." I was fighting tears. Damn hormones.

Mark and Jack saw and they made motions to soothe me. Mark gripped my knee a little tighter, using his presence to calm my nerves. Jack, who I was still leaning into, wrapped me up in a hug, making sure not to knock Mark, who was also leaning on him, off balance. "Shh. Love, it's okay." Jack kissed the top of my head. I closed my eyes and just let the calm and comfort they were offering soak into me. When I had better control, I opened my eyes again.

Momiplier looked at me and grinned. "Hormone express?" I chuckled and nodded. This week had been tough for me, since it was the week my hormones really seemed to kick into high production, making me moody. "Don't worry they will calm back down to normal for a while, soon. Boys, try not to take her mood swings too seriously right now, but for the love of all that you hold dear, DON'T be dismissive of them either. She might hurt you." They chuckled, but I looked at her and she looked back knowingly. 

I shifted the conversation topic away from hormones, pregnancy, and other such emotionally charged topics. "Chica looks so cute out there, playing with her toys. I wish she could stay here more often. I know we can't keep her in the apartment and there isn't really a yard for her, but I still like having her around. She's so sweet, cuddly, and adorable." 

Mark grinned and looked out the patio door to where Chica was laying on her blanket, chewing on a toy. "Chica Bica is the second cutest girl I know. Sorry, Mom." Mark used his adorable 'puppy talk' voice when he started that statement, but the apology was in his regular voice.

Mark's mother laughed. "I hope the cutest one is sitting on the couch with you, carrying your babies Mark. Otherwise we might both have to have a talk with you."

Jack grinned, looking mischievous. "Yeah. I'm glad I'm not a girl, and don't have ta compete. But [y/n] is much cuter. And I think our potential daughters are too." He put his hands on my baby bump, resting his chin on my shoulder. "I hope we have at least one daughter. Sons would be nice too, but I'd like a sweet baby girl." He smiled dreamily. I knew it was too early to tell what the babies genders were. From what I had been reading the babies were just starting to develop their sex organs. I smiled, looked down, and rubbed my abdomen fondly, brushing Jack's hands.

Mark took his hand off my knee and put it on my tummy as well. "A daughter would be awesome." I knew both men would be over the moon no matter what the genders of the babies ended up being. They were already so involved, I couldn't imagine any other reaction from either of them. We all sat, leaned together, daydreaming about our babies and what they might look like when they finally got here.

Mark's mother watched, a smile on her face, but she didn't say anything. Suddenly Chica whined. I looked over at her. "Oh, poor Chica. We aren't sharing any love with her." I walked over to the patio door and looked out. Chica was looking back at me with soulful puppy eyes, so I opened the door and stepped out. "Hey puppy, who's a good girl? Is it you? Yes, you are. Yes, Chica is a good girl." I sat down on the patio chair and Chica came over and climbed on my lap. "Oof. Okay, there we go, that's better." I shifted myself and her around a little until I was more comfortable and then I started just scratching behind her ears and petting her head as I stared off into the sunset. It was very peaceful. I could see Jack and Mark, still where I had left them a few minutes ago, leaning on each other and cuddling together. It was sweet and I was glad they could have a few minutes to themselves occasionally. As I watched the clouds drift by slowly, I closed my eyes, listening to the sounds of the neighborhood and Chica's even breathing. I think she had fallen asleep in my lap. I smiled a little and leaned my head back in the chair and before long, I was asleep as well.

We spent the weekend packing, taking breaks to play with Chica, rest, and eat. Sunday night we invited all our friends and neighbors over for a pre-holiday party, which everyone brought some food for. It was a lot of fun, but I had to excuse myself early, pleading exhaustion from the pregnancy. No one seemed to mind, and the party continued without me. On Monday morning, Mark's mother and I loaded up my car with all the luggage we needed for our travels. Molly came by to see if she could help, and I asked her if she minded if at least one person rode with her to the airport. We weren't going to have room for everyone and all the suitcases and Chica otherwise. She nodded. We thanked her and told her when we would be ready to leave we would text her. She waved goodbye and headed home. I went back into my apartment and did a final check that everything was as ready for our departure as it could be. Then I sat down on the couch to rest and ended up taking a short nap. 

I woke up just a few minutes before the boys got home from work. Wade came home with them and we all piled into the two cars, headed for the airport, tickets in hand. We made it just in time to go through security. The airline attendant who took our tickets recognized us and we got bumped up to first class, a first for me. I had never flown in the first class section before. It was nice. The airline attendant who was on the plane kept offering drinks to us, almost insisting we take them, until she realized I was pregnant. She apologized and asked if there was anything she could do to make us more comfortable. We told her we were fine and she left. The flight went smoothly and Jack and I slept the whole trip. Actually, we had seats right next to each other and we fell asleep on each others shoulders, which Mark took a picture off and made his phone background. He showed it to us later, telling us how cute we were.

After the plane landed in Washington DC, we disembarked and found our luggage. I was just starting to look for my family when someone yelled my name. It was my youngest brother, Eddie, and my mom. They waved and ran over to meet us. I smiled and waved. My mom hugged me in close. When she drew back she looked me up and down. "You can't even tell I have one grandchild on the way, let alone four! Where are you hiding them?"

I grinned, and opened my bulky winter coat. Suddenly my small baby bump was perfectly visible. She grinned and patted it. I introduced everyone to each other and we headed out to the van my brother had rented to get us all home. Chica needed a quick stretch as soon as we got her to my mother's house, but other than that we all settled everything in super fast. This was going to be a fun visit.


	42. Mom's House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone gets settled in at your mother's house.

Mom had a late dinner waiting for us when we got to her house. Eddie, Mark, and Jack unloaded our stuff from the van. I offered to help, but they all told me to go inside and get warm. I smiled, let Chica out of her carry-crate, and lead Momiplier into the house. I took off my coat and hung it up on the coat rack by the door, indicating Momiplier do the same, then I showed her around my mother's house. I saw Mom had made up the beds in my room and a few guest rooms, so I let Momiplier choose which room she wanted from the guest room options. My bedroom had a king sized mattress, so Jack, Mark, and I would all be just fine in there together. In fact, I showed Jack where to put our bags when he came in the next time. Mark's mother was just getting her bags settled in down the hall when I popped in to check on her. When I saw she was getting settled and she claimed not to need anything, I walked into the kitchen to see what Mom was up to. "Hey Mom, what's going on in here? Need any help?"

My mom chuckled. "Nope, I got it under control. I was just heating the sauce for the pasta I made before we left for the airport. Now, sit down and take the strain of those babies! Your boyfriends are gorgeous by the way and so nice. Have you gotten everyone's room situation figured out? I didn't want to assume you were all staying in the same room, except your boyfriends mother, but I'm not going to force anyone into separate rooms either. You're all adults and can make up your own minds." 

I smiled at her. "Yeah, the guys are putting our stuff in my room now. Thanks for letting Mark's mom stay here for the holiday. She's been a big help the last two weeks and I would hate for her to feel like she had to spend the holiday all by herself because we neglected to extend the invitation. I really doubt Aunt Meg and Uncle Ron would have liked hearing that. It's not like there is ever a shortage of food at our family gatherings anyway."

Mom laughed. "You're right about that, both parts. They were thrilled that you were bringing some people, and had no problem with the fact that there would be more than just your boyfriends. By the way, I haven't told anyone your news yet. I thought you might be planning it as a surprise. Although, it's a good thing you are telling everyone now, instead of waiting until Christmas or something. You're definitely starting to look pregnant. You look great by the way, other than looking tired. How are you feeling? Any morning sickness?"

I grimaced. "Oh yeah. The doctor had to put me on medication because it was so bad. I was basically just sick all the time, but the medicine has stopped that. Now, I'm tired a lot, and anemic. I'm on mega vitamins and iron supplements. I have to get my vitamin levels checked again after Christmas when I go back to the doctor." I reached in my purse, which was draped over the back of the chair I was sitting in. "Here, come take a peek at your grandchildren. This is the latest sonogram pictures. My babies have ears now." I was grinning like an idiot. Mom didn't seem to notice as she came over to look. She cooed and clapped her hands, as excited as everyone else I had shown the pictures to. I gave her a copy, which she put on the fridge, next to a picture of me when I graduated college. "Hey, Mom, is Darrell going to be around for Thanksgiving?" Darrell was my other brother, only two years younger than me, as opposed to Eddie, who was almost five years younger than me. Darrell was married and had moved to South Carolina just over a year and a half ago, and I hadn't seen him since, even though we had talked at least once a month. 

"Yes. Darrell and Clarissa are coming in tomorrow. They decided to drive up, instead of flying, to save money. They are going to stay in his room. Eddie's boyfriend, Ray, is coming over as well. The poor man doesn't have any family and I couldn't stand the thought of him being alone, so I invited him to stay, even though he doesn't live super far away. He lives about forty five minutes away, towards the city." I nodded. Ray is a really awesome guy, from what I had seen so far, and Eddie and Ray had been dating for about three years, since they had been roommates their sophomore year of college.

"Great! I can't wait to see everyone." I shifted slightly in my seat, trying to stretch my stiff muscles in my back and shoulders. "Well, I should go see if the guys are all done unloading the van. By the way, who did Eddie borrow the van from? It's a nice one, but not one I recognize as belonging to one of his friends."

Mom laughed. "Actually, he borrowed it from your Uncle James. James has that florist's shop and he hired Eddie a few months ago." I nodded, remembering that Eddie had told me. "Well, last month, they bought the van to do deliveries and James told Eddie he could use it to bring you and your guests home. James wants to come by after work tomorrow and look everyone over, so be prepared. You know how protective he is of you."

I smiled. "I hope he doesn't get too worked up about my pregnancy. I'm really excited about it, and so are the guys. I would hate to have Uncle James try to scare them off. One of my friends already tried that and I had to get tough with him."

Mom smiled. "I'm glad to hear you rescued them, and that they are being supportive. This would be far more difficult if you were on your own. Now, go gather everyone else up. Dinner is ready." I stood up and kissed her cheek as I walked out of the kitchen. Mark and Jack were just carrying the last bags back to my room.

I grinned. "Ooh, hot delivery men in my bedroom." They heard me, which I meant for them to, and laughed. "Are you hungry? Mom made some dinner and it's ready now. Go wash up and we can eat. I need to find Eddie and your mom, Mark, to tell them the food is ready as well." I leaned in and kissed each of them. "Love ya! Bathroom is next door, on the right. We have our own." I walked back out of the room, hearing them setting the last bags down. I headed to Momiplier's room. I peeked in, she was putting some clothes in the dresser next to the bed. "Momiplier, my mom made some dinner, if you're hungry. It's ready to eat, so if you need to wash up or anything now would be the time, otherwise she's in the kitchen and can show you where the plates and stuff are." She smiled at me and thanked me, heading for the bathroom. I headed over to Eddie's room. "Eddie? You in here?" I knocked on his door. No answer. "Dinner's ready." I called through the door just in case he was there but didn't want me to come in. I walked away, checking a few other places in the house, until I found him outside, playing with Chica. "Eddie, dinner's ready. Mom says to go wash up. Chica, come here girl!" I called Chica over as Eddie stepped around me. I took Chica inside, leading her to my room, where Mark or Jack had set up her doggie bed, blanket, food, and water. They had set a large towel under the water bowl to keep the floor clean. Chica immediately ran over to her food and started eating. As soon as I saw she was mostly settled in, I closed the bedroom door all but a small crack. We would still be able to hear her, and she could get out if she really wanted, but she would probably want to stay in the room with her toys and things. I stepped over to the bathroom and washed my hands for dinner before heading back to the kitchen. By the time I walked in, everyone else was already there. Mark pulled out a seat for me, between him and Jack. Jack hopped up and dished a plate of food up for me as soon as he saw me coming. I smiled at them and thanked them, insisting I could have gotten my own plate, but I appreciated the thought. My mother laughed. "She's so stubborn. Dear, let them help you." 

"Yes, Mom."

Mark grinned at Jack. "I wish we had that power." I stuck my tongue out at him. He raised an eyebrow.

Jack laughed. "Maybe over our kids. She's our girlfriend, not our daughter."

"Thank you for realizing that Jack." I shifted, trying to get more comfortable in my seat.

Mom watched and listened to our playful banter throughout dinner. She smiled. After dinner, she pulled me aside, taking my arm and guiding me into the living room. "[Y/n], I'm so happy to see you found people who are right for you. Both of those two men are clearly in love with you and I can tell how much you care for them as well. And I'm glad to see you happy. I don't remember the last time I saw you this happy, in fact. Now, I have one thing to say to you, and I want you to listen. Stop being so independent and accept help. Right now, your body is under enormous strain. Those two men are trying to help ease it, so let them. I know you hate the very idea of seeming weak, or whatever it is that makes you refuse help, but stop it. If not for your own sake, for the babies."

I blinked. I opened my mouth to protest, but closed it when I saw the look in my mother's eyes. I swallowed and nodded. I wanted to tell her I was trying, but I knew she would tell me I wasn't trying hard enough. Mom continued to look at me, trying to drive her point home. Finally, I murmured "I'm sorry Mom. I really am trying, but sometimes I can't stand it anymore. I know I should just let them do things for me, but I need to feel useful. I'm not even a full three months pregnant after all! How am I going to get through this pregnancy if I can't even do this part?" I was crying, but couldn't help it.

Mom relented, wrapping an arm around me. "Shh, dear. Don't cry. I'm sorry I was so stern. This is obviously something you have discussed with them before, isn't it?" I nodded, still crying. "Okay. I won't bring it up again. Just please think about it. Now, dry your eyes. Do you want any dessert? I made cake."

My crying had slowed down, and I gave a watery chuckled as I shook my head no. Mom raised and eyebrow. "Jack's going to love you. Just go tell him there's cake and see what happens. I need to pull myself together a little more. And my back is bothering me, so I need to sit in a more comfortable chair. You guys go ahead without me though. I'll be fine on my own for a little while." Mom nodded and walked into the kitchen again. I heard Jack squeal with delight when he heard there was cake and I smiled, even through the last of the tears. I managed to stop crying completely a minute later, and closed my eyes, wiping the tears away before I did so. The plane ride and car ride here had made my back and shoulders cramp up, badly. I tried several things to unknot the muscles, but so far, nothing was helping. I was reluctant to take painkillers, even ones that were okayed by the doctor, because of the babies, but I was really starting to hurt. Finally, I got up and laid down on the couch, allowing my back to stretch to it's maximum length. I had always had a few back issues, starting in high school, but mostly it was just minor backaches I could easily ignore. Anytime I was forced to sit in the same position for long periods of time, I would get a stiff back. The pregnancy was making it worse. I suddenly realized how bad this might end up being for our travel plans and decided before we flew any long distances again, I was going to have to try to find something to help prevent this from happening. I was stretched out, face down on the couch, not paying attention to what was going on. I gently rubbed the small of my back, making a hissing noise when I hit a particularly sore muscle, when someone else's hands moved mine aside. I started to lift my head, but my shoulders were pushed back down, gently, but firmly. Then two sets of hands started rubbing my back and shoulders, Jack concentrating on my neck, upper back and shoulders, and Mark working on my lower back and hips. I whimpered, squeaked, and moaned as they worked, involuntarily voicing the pain or relief I felt as the muscles relaxed and the knots loosened. When I was starting to feel more like myself again and there were no longer any knots that the two men could feel with their hands, they helped me sit up. I was far more relaxed and honestly felt a little loose jointed with relief. 

Jack looked at me. "Love, why didn't ye tell us ye were in such bad shape? What happened?"

I looked down. "I didn't honestly know how bad my back was until I walked out here after dinner. I knew my back had been hurting ever since I woke up when the plane landed, but I thought it was just sore. When I laid down to rub some of the soreness out, I realized it was bad. Thank you both. I hope it doesn't get this way every time I fly. We have lots of flights between now and January."

Mark looked at me. "Take it easy babe. We're going to help you back to bed. Just wait here a minute please. We want to go say good night to my mom, your mom and your brother. They were worried about you, but didn't want to disturb you if you were just tired." The men walked off, back into the kitchen. I heard soft voices for a moment before they reappeared. They looked relieved that I was right where they had left me. They came over and helped get me out of the couch (Mom's couch tended to eat people's behinds) and they each put an arm around me, helping me walk back to the bedroom. I sighed, but didn't protest, remembering my mother's advice. This was for the babies. When we got back to the room, I told them I wanted to take a quick shower and declined the offer to help. I showered on my own, dried off, and put on my pajamas, which consisted of a pair of Markiplier pajama pants and a long sleeved tee shirt with Jack's logo emblazoned across the front. I didn't normally wear these, but they were warm and comfy, which was what I wanted tonight, and they covered me up nicely, so I wouldn't have to get dressed in the morning to go get breakfast. I walked into my bedroom. 

Jack and Mark grinned at me. "Nice pajamas, love. Now, come snuggle me. Ye look cold. Mark will be back in a minute." I smiled as I climbed into bed, cuddling as close to Jack as I could. Mark hadn't climbed into bed yet, instead he had headed to the bathroom as soon as I had walked in. I was curled up next to Jack as I listened to the sounds of Mark showering. Jack was rubbing little patterns on my tummy, one arm behind me, pulling me in close. I started drifting off to sleep, but tried to fight it. I lost the battle and was sound asleep by the time Mark crawled into bed next to me for the night, pulling the blankets up under my chin to keep me warm.


	43. Lead up to Thanksgiving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens on the two days before the big family dinner.

The next morning, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, was a chilly one. I was wrapped up in blankets and warm bodies when Chica woke me up, needing to go out. Jack and Mark were still asleep. I groaned, stole one of the blankets, wrapping it around my shoulders as I walked out with Chica to the front door. I slid my shoes on and grabbed my coat, bundling myself into it before pulling the blanket around myself again. Although my mother lived fairly close to Washington DC, we were in the mountains of West Virginia and it was cold up here this time of year, adding to my chill from hormone changes. I stepped outside and let Chica into the enclosed yard area my brother had set up for her. She would have plenty of room to run around and do her business, without leaving little surprises all over the yard for people to step in. There were dog toys and a food and water dish there as well, just in case we had to leave her outside for a while, but we had planned to bring her inside every night, while we were here. As soon as Chica was in the enclosure, I shut the door, making sure it would remain latched. Chica started running around, sniffing everything and taking care of her business. I shivered and headed back to the house. It was too cold to just stand out here and watch Chica play for very long, at least for me right now. I opened the door, stepped inside, closed the door, and peeled off my coat. I hung it back up on the coat rack, trailing my blanket cape and headed into the kitchen. Since I was up and feeling hungry, I decided to make some breakfast for everyone. I peeked in the fridge and spotted some oranges and a pineapple. I grabbed them to make some muffins, along with a package of bacon and the eggs. I whipped up the muffins and put them in the oven to bake while I fried the bacon and scrambled some eggs. Before long, the smells of food had doors down the hall creaking open. I smiled to myself as I heard sleepy footfalls in the hallway and put the coffee maker on to brew. I got the apple juice out for myself, as well as the milk, and set them on the table, along side the eggs, bacon, and butter. I was just pulling the last of the muffins from their pans when I heard someone come up behind me. I had set the blanket on the back of my chair as the kitchen heated up from my cooking and baking, so when Jack's arms encircled my waist, there was nothing blocking him from pulling me into a hug. I smiled at his sleepy face before telling him where the coffee cups were and asking him to get plates down for the food. Mark was a few steps behind him. "Good morning Mark. Did you sleep well? Chica's outside already."

Mark looked surprised. "I didn't hear you get up this morning. Did you sleep okay?" I nodded. "I slept alright too, but when I rolled over everyone was gone..." He made a pouty face at me, like I was responsible.

I grinned, grabbed a plate from Jack, and started plating food. I grabbed a glass from the cabinet and poured some juice for myself as well. Then I sat down to eat. Jack immediately joined me, digging into the bacon and muffins with glee. His eyes opened wide with the first bite of muffin. "What flavor are these? They're really good."

I kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks sweetie. They're pineapple-orange with extra cinnamon. Healthy and yummy."

He leaned over and kissed me back. "Just like you." I blushed as Eddie walked in and groaned.

"It's too early for this much mushiness. Besides, that's my sister you're telling that to." He wrinkled his nose up. "So who cooked this morning?"

I looked over at him. "I did. So be nice, or I'll make something you can't stand next time, like oatmeal with raisins or cinnamon walnut bread."

He stuck out his tongue and Jack and Mark grinned. Mom and Momiplier both got to the kitchen at the same time, just as Eddie sat down with his cup of coffee. He added his usual milk and sugar before taking a sip and Mom grabbed her coffee next offering a cup to Mark's mother as she poured her own. Once everyone had their coffee in front of them, they started getting the plate of food dipped. Jack and I had already dipped and were eating, but I didn't feel guilty because I had cooked and breakfast in my house has never really been a formal sit down meal. It was usually just a free for all, everyone eating whenever they got up. That's why I had made foods that could sit for a little while instead of something like pancakes or waffles. Conversation was not the most lively over breakfast this morning, but it rarely was. Eddie made a comment about my pajamas when he finally noticed what was going on around him. I blushed, but Mark and Jack grinned like they were proud of my choice. 

After breakfast, Eddie was assigned to clean up and clear the dishes away. I grabbed the blanket I had dragged out here, and headed back to the bedroom to get dressed. I decided on a warm green sweater, which was extra long, soft, and fuzzy, over a pair of jeans. I then grabbed my laptop and hauled it down the hall to the living room, logging onto the internet as soon as it booted up. I checked the video upload schedule to make sure everything looked okay and logged into Twitter, catching up with what had been going on since yesterday morning, when I had last logged in. I tweeted a few replies to questions and comments before switching over to Tumblr. I was curled up on Mom's couch, leaning on the arm, waiting for anyone else to come in the room to talk. Everyone else was still lingering over coffee in the kitchen. I turned around and looked out the window, checking on Chica. She was playing with a ball and looked quite happy, but I noticed a storm looked like it was getting ready to roll in. I stood up and went to go talk to Mark. "Hey, Mark, it looks like it might storm. Should we bring Chica in? It was pretty cold out this morning."

Mark looked out the kitchen window. "Yeah, I'll go get her. You go relax. Thanks for checking on her." He leaned in and kissed me as he walked past. I smiled at him and cuddled back down into my mother's overstuffed couch. Chica came bounding in a moment later, with Mark shivering behind her. "You weren't kidding about it being cold out. Brrr. Feels like winter." 

I grinned. "Did you forget I grew up in colder climates than LA? I mean I'm used to snow and ice in the winter. I'm just cold a lot now, because the babies are all stealing my heat." I wrapped my arms around my baby bump, lovingly, looking down and smiling. Jack was standing in the doorway and came over to sit next to me, cuddling in to me and wrapping his arms around me as well. Both his hands ended up resting on my belly too. Mark smiled and headed back to bedroom to get dressed fully and grab Chica's blanket. Chica had come over and was resting her head on my knees, looking up at Jack and I. I reached on hand down and rubbed her head. Mark came back and spread Chica's blanket at my feet, which she immediately curled up on, actually laying down on top of my toes. I scooted my feet back a little until she whined. I relented and brought them forward again, resting them on her back, gently. She settled back down and I looked up at Mark. He was looking at me with a wistful expression, I couldn't read. "What?"

"You and Jack look so cute like that, but I can't sit and join you because you're against the side of the couch. I guess I'll have to cuddle with Jack only for now."

I made an indignant snorting noise, which made everyone in the room look at me. I blushed. "Sorry about that. I have no idea where that noise came from. Mark, you could just sit next to me in the armchair." I got a mischievous look in my eye. "Or cuddle with Chica at my feet..." Chica looked up at the sound of her name, but put her head back down when no one paid any more attention to her. Jack chuckled in my ear.

He decided to sit on the floor and play with Chica after all. After a little while, Chica was in his lap and he was leaning against my legs, warming my feet up, and browsing social media on his tablet. Jack had borrowed my laptop, since I had logged off. I was just cuddling him and chatting quietly with Mom and Momiplier. We were discussing babies and pregnancy when someone knocked on the door. I shifted position slightly, as though to go answer it, but I had too many warm bodies wrapped around me and couldn't move. Mom grinned and waved a hand at me, getting up and answering the door. It was Darrell and his wife, Clarissa. Mom hugged them both and made ushered them in closing the door. Darrell looked around the room and grinned at me, buried under everybody else and the dog. I smiled back. "Hey Darrell, how's it going? Hi Clarissa." 

Clarissa looked at me startled. "[Y/n]? Why are you buried under all those people and that blanket?"

I grinned at Jack, who was still wrapped around me like an octopus, using my laptop while it was still in my lap. "These are my boyfriends, Mark," I put my hand on his head, "and Jack, the guy who is all wrapped around me right now. Chica is Mark's puppy." Mark scooted over a little and Jack unwrapped himself from around my body, taking my laptop with him. I saw both Darrell's and Clarissa's eyes budge slightly as my baby bump came into view briefly during all the flailing about, but it was hidden again under the blanket before they could say anything. I extracted myself from the couch with a grunt, letting the blanket fall back in my seat, once again bringing my small baby bump into view. I came over and hugged them both.

Clarissa hugged me back right away, but Darrell looked stunned when he saw me. He recovered after a moment and pulled me in for a proper hug. "Sis, you look good, but I didn't know you were pregnant! Why didn't you tell me? This is exciting, I'm going to be an uncle! And who's the father?"

I rolled my eyes at him and walked back over to my warm cocoon, burrowing back under the blanket. Jack leaned against me again when he saw I was shivering slightly. Mark scooted back in front of my legs and feet. "Sorry, I have been really cold lately. Something about the pregnancy hormones. And I did try calling you a couple of times, but I couldn't get ahold of you, so I decided to wait. I only found out about it right before Halloween."

Clarissa looked at me. "Halloween? Just how far along are you? You look pretty big to have just found out less than a month ago."

Jack grinned and added "That's just because there are four wee little ones in there." He leaned forward and rubbed my belly again. I blushed a little and nodded.

"Four? My sister is having four babies? And she didn't tell me for a month?" Darrell looked outraged. I chuckled. 

"Darr, I tried calling you about eight times. You're never home and I didn't want to leave this as a message on your answering machine. I did call and leave several messages to call me back, but did you bother? Nooo. So, get over it. Now, if you want to see the very first pictures of the babies, I have one from before they were even big enough to see as actual babies and one from a week ago, which the doctor told me, based on their size and development, they are nine weeks in the picture. Mom has a copy on the fridge."

Clarissa immediately headed into the kitchen to go see, bringing it back with her to show her husband. Darrell was trying to get his head wrapped around all of this information. Mom came over and started helping him take his coat off. When he realized what she was doing, he took it off and hung it up. Clarissa leaned into him, holding the picture. "Ooh, they are so tiny and sweet." She took off her coat and hung it up. I looked at her thoughtfully.

Suddenly, as she turned around I was sure. I smirked. "Looks like I'm not the only one who didn't tell someone." Clarissa blinked at me as Darrell's mouth fell open.

"Way to ruin the surprise, [y/n]!" Darrell growled at me.

Jack and Mark stared at me, open mouthed. Mom squealed and clapped her hands. "More babies! Oh, how far along are you dear? I'm so excited!"

Clarissa smiled. "Actually, I just past first trimester. I'm officially fourteen weeks pregnant." She looked at me. "So, I'm slightly farther along then you."

I grinned at her. "Good for you. Our babies might all get here around the same time though. That's pretty awesome." I looked at my brother. "So why exactly were you mad at me? You kept this secret longer than I did with my babies." I looked back at Clarissa. "So, do you have any sonogram pictures? I want to see my little niece or nephew right now!"

Clarissa came over and sat down in the armchair next to me. I realized I hadn't introduced her to Mark's mom, which I did then, also introducing my brother to her. Momiplier grinned and laughed when I told them what to call her. "Momiplier is great. Having all these people call me Mark's mother will get confusing and I know you call your mother Mom, so I'm make life easy. Although, it occurs to me, we will all have to claim grandmother names." I looked at Mom and realized she was right. 

"Okay, that conversation is going to have to wait a little while and involve some people who aren't even here right now. Maybe we can have everyone come out to visit us after we find a house and move?" I looked at Jack and Mark for support and they nodded agreement. I realized I was also going to have to figure out a last name compromise as well as coming up with names for four babies. Suddenly, I was overwhelmed and the room spun. I leaned heavily on Jack, who seemed to recognize something was wrong, because he moved his arms from around my waist to my shoulders. It took several minutes for the room to settle back to normal and my vision, which had gone disconcertingly grey, to return to normal. I sat back up a little when I was okay, but Jack kept an arm around me.

Jack leaned over a whispered "Are ye okay, love? Ye went pale and quiet there for a minute. And ye were leaning on me pretty hard, not that I mind."

I nodded, whispering back, "Yeah, just dizzy for a minute and feeling a little overwhelmed. I just realized a few of the decisions we are going to be facing, including naming the babies. Sorry."

Jack chuckled. "No need ta apologize." He kissed my cheek. "Lean on me again if ye need ta."

Darrell had watched the whole thing, a look of concern clear on his face. I noticed it when I looked up after Jack's kiss. Darrell cleared his throat. "Hey, [y/n]. in all seriousness, are you okay? I know just one baby is putting Clarissa under a lot of strain. I can't imagine how you're coping with four."

I smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine. I get a little light headed occasionally, I had a sore back from the flight yesterday, I'm a little emotional and cranky, I'm constantly tired, and I have to take medication for a few more weeks to combat the extreme morning sickness, but other than that I'm perfectly normal. Oh, and my belly is growing rather rapidly." I smiled ruefully at my stomach as Darrell, Clarissa, Mom, and Momiplier laughed. Eddie walked in and smiled, hearing the end of the conversation. "Eddie, did you know Darr and Clarissa were here?"

Eddie rolled his eyes at me. "The house isn't that big, sis. Besides, Clarissa came in and stole the baby picture remember?" I blushed, having forgotten she had slipped into the kitchen earlier.

Clarissa jumped in. "Speaking of baby pictures, here's my sonogram image. I have another appointment in two weeks and they think we'll be able to find out the baby's gender then. Darrell and I are super excited for that."

I smiled. "Please make sure you send me a copy of the pictures or post them somewhere online I can look at them." I looked at the tiny image of her baby, who was about a month further along than my own babies. "I can hardly believe we're going to be having babies so close together. I just wish we all lived closer to each other for this."

Darrell grinned at me. "Thinking of moving back from LA?"

I shook my head. "No. I have way too much keeping me out there. I have a growing YouTube channel, a job as a supervisor for a camera crew, and a new role on a TV show. Besides, these two gorgeous men." I put a hand on Mark and Jack. "Plus, I have a lot of friends out there. I doubt Dan, Arin, or Suzy would want to see me go right now, even if the TV show ended and everyone else moved back to their old lives."

Eddie made a choking noise. I looked at him. "D-d-do you mean the G-game Grumps?" I nodded, wondering what the problem was. "Oh my god! You're friends with the Game Grumps too?! Next you're going to tell me you know PewDiePie."

I laughed. "Yeah, I know Felix. I talked to him last month, on his birthday, when we played a collab gaming session. Actually, Mark and Jack know him better, obviously, but he's a really nice guy. He'll be coming out to LA next year to join the next season of the show with us." Eddie looked like he was going to swallow his tongue. He had to excuse himself out of the room to get himself pulled together. Mark and Jack were clearly trying not to laugh. When Mark started chuckling, I smacked his shoulder, telling him "Behave. He's one of your fans too you know." I looked over at Jack. "You too."

Darrell chuckled a little. "It's hard to recognize our sister is the YouTube sensation and Hollywood insider now. I still remember you when your voice cracked during that Christmas solo in school."

I gave him a look that promised no good if he kept going. "And I still remember plenty of stories from when you were little too. I have some especially embarrassing ones, that if you keep going, I might accidentally tell my viewers sometime." He shut up immediately, much to Clarissa's, Mark's, and Jack's amusement. Mom stepped in to change the subject before anyone could ask for more details.

"Enough of that. Now, Darrell, sit down and get comfy. Are you or Clarissa hungry? [Y/n] made some delicious pineapple-orange muffins this morning and there is juice and coffee." Both of them took a couple of muffins. Clarissa also got a glass of apple juice, while Darrell got himself a cup of coffee with creamer. They settled in to chat. Eventually, Eddie came back and started talking to Darrell and they wandered out to his car to bring in the luggage for their stay, with Eddie's help. We ladies resumed our baby discussion, Mark and Jack listening while they worked on social media replies. Mom slipped out and made some lunch in the early afternoon, bringing it to us where we were. Clarissa and I looked at each other and giggled. Apparently, neither of us was allowed to do anything but be pregnant. Mark got up once in a while to let Chica out. The second time he did, he came back over and told us it was snowing out, fairly hard. We all looked out the window. I shivered and wrapped the blanket tighter. Mark saw and made me scoot over, coming up to sit next to me on the couch. He and Jack leaned into me, warming me up with their bodies and Chica crawled under my feet again after looking at me for several minutes. I wasn't sure what she was looking for, but she seemed to want to snuggle with me as much as she could, so since she knew she wouldn't be allowed on the couch, she was settling in at my feet and not moving unless she had to. After I ate, I was sleepy. While the guys talked quietly and checked the Internet, I fell asleep on their shoulders. I woke up in the early evening when someone rang the doorbell. 

Uncle James was here. He came in and visited until well after nine, staying for dinner and congratulating Clarissa and I both. He seemed genuinely happy for us and only threatened Jack and Mark a little until I stepped in. He backed off then and let it go. It was a fun visit, and we were all sad to see him leave for the night, but we knew we would all have plenty to do tomorrow to get ready to go visit Aunt Meg and Uncle Ron the following day. Mom had volunteered to make two pies and the cranberries, both the relish and the jellied dish, to bring with us. I would be in charge of carving the turkeys, as usual, when we got there. For some reason, I had a real knack for getting perfect slices off the bird and being able to get the bird so cleanly carved there was practically no waste and no need to make stock to get the last of the bird from the bones. We still made the stock, most years anyway, because it was family tradition, but now my aunts had to add meat to the pot to flavor the broth. Clarissa and I were exchanging yawns almost as soon as Uncle James left, so we headed back to bed. I was still feeling jet lagged, not to mention tired from getting up early with Chica, so as soon as I climbed back into my pajamas and crawled into bed, I was asleep. 

Wednesday was much the same, with Mark getting up for Chica, instead of me, and a slightly later breakfast that I didn't cook. I stayed in bed as long as I could, drowsy and warm, but eventually I had to get up. I went out to get some breakfast to find Mom and Momiplier cooking together. They handed me a glass of milk and made me wait at the table, promising breakfast would be served soon. I smiled and sipped my milk. Jack joined me, fresh from the shower, and newly dressed. He grabbed a coffee and offered to help, but was waved into the seat next to mine. He sat down, drawing me into a conversation about editing a new video while we waited. Mark joined us a few minutes later, followed by Eddie, Darrell, and Clarissa immediately after. Soon we were all discussing various YouTubers and video editing techniques while our mothers cooked. Mark and Jack got up and set the table without being asked. After breakfast, Darrell washed the dishes while Clarissa and I were shoved out into the living room. Mark and Jack were assigned some food prep jobs for the pies and cranberries, while Eddie put the rest of breakfast in the fridge. Then he too started working on food prep, being assigned the job of zesting oranges for the relish. Clarissa and I sat down on the couch, curled under blankets, with Chica on her blanket between us, and put the TV on, selecting a show everyone in the family enjoyed. That was how we spent the whole day, except when Darrell decided to go out for Chinese food for dinner for everyone. He drove off after Mom ordered and was soon back with our food. We all shared our dishes, so everyone got a taste of anything that sounded good to them. Before long all the food was prepped for the next day and it was time for bed again. Chica and I headed back first, as usual. I took a hot shower before sliding into my pajamas again and was asleep as soon as I curled up in the bed. I never even felt Jack or Mark get in and join me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, after tomorrow's chapter (Thanksgiving) there will be some time skipping. At least one little jump to after the guys finish filming and get back to Cincinnati, then a second jump to when everyone is in Ireland. I try to keep the time skips as minimal as possible, but I don't want the story to drag out too long either. I don't plan to skip any of the holidays, things are going to happen then, or doctor's appointments. Just letting everybody know.
> 
> Also, thank you to EVERYONE who's been reading and commenting. I swear, the amount of support and love my writing is getting is amazing! Honestly, it has been helping me get through a really bad patch of health right now. *Kisses and Hugs to everybody!!* *Mwah* *Mwah*
> 
> One other question for all you lovely readers out there: I am thinking of ending this book when the babies are born and picking up the story in a second book, just so this doesn't get ridiculously long (if it hasn't already). Let me know in the comments if you have a preference (all one book, or separated into multiple books). I will tell everyone the title of the second book as soon as I decide on one if I split it, I am just curious to see what people think.


	44. Thanksgiving

I was actually the last person to wake up on Thanksgiving morning. Jack and Mark had were both gone, as was Chica when I looked around the room. I stretched and yawned, waking up slowly. I got dressed in my warmest sweater and skirt combo for the day. I added a pair of tights and my boots before I headed out to get breakfast. Jack and Mark were no where to be seen, but Mom and Momiplier were sitting at the table with a checklist when I got to the kitchen. I smiled at them as I sat down to a bowl of oatmeal with fruit and milk and a glass of juice. They smiled back at me briefly before going back to the list they were working on. As I woke up more, I realized the list was baby supplies and furniture that both Clarissa and I would need. I looked up at them. "Hey, don't go planning on buying us anything until closer. I have gotten some corporate donation offers from big companies and been promised gifts from some of my corporate sponsors. I don't have to do anything more than I'm already doing, which is vlogging about my life sometimes and showing pictures of my baby bump or sonogram pictures. We won't need any furniture for sure, with all the offers that have come in. I am just waiting to tell the companies where to send things until we find somewhere bigger to move into. I have also been getting a lot of baby clothes, blankets, diapers, and other supplies from fans. I had to rent a storage unit for them right now, and some of the things we don't need are going to be given to charity. I only just announced this a few weeks ago on my channel, but the response has been amazing. While we're gone, I have to have my assistant, Danica, checking my P.O. box and moving the unopened packages to the storage unit. I plan on doing an unboxing video or two when we get home next." They looked at me, startled. 

Mom finally asked me "We can't get you anything?"

I laughed. "Mom, I'm still going to need things. All I'm asking is that you wait to get me anything until closer to my due date, when I can see what I already have and what I'm really going to need. Also, the thing I'm going to need most is help, which you two can provide and the fans and big companies cannot. I hoping you both can fly out around the time the babies get here for a visit. We will even buy your tickets if you need us to, and we definitely will be providing you a place to stay while you're there, so it shouldn't cost you a whole lot. I'm hoping you'll both say yes." I looked down. 

Momiplier immediately answered. "Of course, I'll come stay as long as you want! Just let me know the details, so I can make some arrangements."

Mom bit her lip. "I'm not sure. Clarissa is also due so close to your due date and she's going to want me around as well, I think. Can I think about it for a little while? I definitely want to visit, I'm just not sure how soon after I can make it." I nodded as I finished the last of my breakfast.

I stood up to take care of my dishes, but Mom came over and took them from me. She attempted to shoo me into the living room, but I stopped her to ask "Where is everybody else? I know Jack and Mark are up, but I haven't seen them since last night when I went back to bed."

Momiplier grinned. "They went out to take Chica for a proper walk and to play at the park. Eddie went off to go get his boyfriend, who apparently called last night, late, saying his car had died somewhere and was going to have to miss everything. Eddie volunteered to go rescue him first thing today. "

Mom nodded. "Clarissa and Darrell went to the store for something they forgot. They'll be back soon. They are going to drive some of us over to your aunt and uncle's house when we need to leave, which will be in about an hour and a half. Go do whatever you need to, so you are ready in time."

I looked down at my outfit. It still looked fine. "All I need to do is brush my hair. I'm wearing this outfit. Although, maybe I should bring a change of clothes, in case I make a mess or get sick or something. I'll grab some spares and put them in a bag by the door. " I left to go do exactly that. I packed a pair of super stretchy black pants and a gorgeous purple sweatshirt with my channel logo as my backups. I put my purse on top of the small bag, so I would remember to take both and curled up under the blanket on the couch with my laptop, logging on to YouTube to check my channel and read some comments. I decided to record a quick vlog, updating my fans about my pregnancy and wishing them all a happy Thanksgiving. I did a super speedy edit, having the video done before Darrell and Clarissa got home. Jack and Mark came in just as I finished rendering it. I uploaded it to my channel for immediate release, and settled back into the cushions, checking Twitter. I decided tomorrow was going to be another responding to comments vlog, particularly when I saw the amount of ridiculous Twitter spam I was getting, demanding to know details about my pregnancy and life that I wasn't willing to share. Besides, I needed a vent for crazy hormonal me, and this would be a good, safe, and creative way to vent as long as I didn't go over the top. 

Eddie and Ray got back with over forty minutes to spare before we had to leave, so Ray put his stuff in Eddie's room and joined us in the living room. I told him about the pregnancy, but he blushed and told me he already knew. It turned out he was a big fan of my channel and had even seen the vlog I just posted, because he watched it while Eddie was driving home. I laughed and thanked him for watching, telling him what I was planning for the next day. He grinned, as did Mark and Jack. They all approved and told me they would watch with interest to see how my sarcasm handled the idiots on the internet. Eddie was staring open-mouthed at Ray for the whole conversation. Finally he turned to him and said "Ray, since when do you subscribe to her channel?" 

Ray laughed. "Ever since you showed me her gameplay with Jack, after Jack got hurt. She's really funny, I have always thought so, and her gameplay videos are pretty amazing. I feel like she includes me as a watcher as much as she can, and the comments are super hilarious."

Jack grinned at me. "I'm a little jealous. It sounds like he likes ye more than me."

Ray blushed. "I know her better." I laughed out loud at this. 

"Jack stop embarrassing Ray. You and Mark have enough fans, you don't need to try to steal mine." I winked at Ray. "So greedy. You'd think he never gets compliments from people." Jack growled at me sexily, and I gave him a flirty look. He came over to sit next to me.

I kissed him when he sat down, a long slow kiss, that made Eddie groan and everyone else whistle, even Mark. Jack used his deeper sexy voice to tell me "That's cheating, now I can hardly think straight." 

I giggled and shivered against him slightly. "Of course it is. Who said I play fair?" I gave him a gentle kiss on the tip of his nose and walked away, just as he reached for me again. I walked over to Mark and hugged him, making sure he didn't feel left out. 

Mark smiled at me and patted my baby bump. "I swear you're getting more and more beautiful. It makes my brain short circuit sometimes. How and I going to deal with it?" 

I smirked at him, leaning in close. "If your brain melts completely, how will anyone know the difference?" I kissed him to take the sting out of my words as my eyes danced merrily. I was enjoying teasing the guys and feeling better today then I had in a long time. When I broke the kiss, Mark looked stunned. I smiled again and looked at the time. "Hey, everybody, we better start getting ready to go. You all know how much I hate being late!" Jack walked over to join Mark and I, hugging in close before both men headed down the hall to get changed. I headed into the kitchen to see if there was anything I could do to help. Mom and Momiplier waved me out. Clarissa and I were instructed to sit down and take a load off our babies, making us look at each other and roll our eyes. We obeyed and started a whispered giggly conversation about the men in our lives being overprotective and now our mothers as well. It was fun and we passed all the time until it was time to leave this way. When we headed out to the cars, Mark, Jack, Clarissa, and I were guided to Darrell's car, while Momiplier, Mom, and Ray headed to Eddie's car with the food. I passed the car ride snuggled between my boyfriends, chatting comfortable with them and my brother and his wife. It was really nice. 

We arrived at my Aunt Meg's house at two thirty, exactly when we were supposed to get there. We had been in the car since eleven thirty, so I was ready to stretch my legs and back when we got there. Aunt Meg came out to meet us. I waved, my pregnancy hidden for the moment in my bulky coat. Uncle Ron came out of the house as well, to see if we needed any help carrying food in and to greet all of us as we piled out of the cars. Eddie had pulled in immediately behind us, so he handed the dish of cranberry relish over, taking the pie basket instead. Mom grabbed the cranberry jelly and we all headed inside. I was happy to see nearly everyone had made it this year, all ten of my aunts and uncles were here, my grandparents, and most of my cousins, with their spouses and children. It was a pretty full house, nearly fifty people all told. Clarissa hung up her coat as I unbuttoned the top few buttons of mine. Everyone was supposed to put the coats on the bed in the guest room, but I was leaving mine on, because I was still cold. I introduced Mark and Jack to everyone, and then Mark's mother. I sat down, cuddling into Jack in an extra large armchair. He smiled at me and whispered "Am I supposed to remember all these names?" 

I grinned. "Just do your best, love. No one expects you to be perfect, even if I think you are. Same for you Mark." I looked up at Mark, who was standing behind the chair looking a little unsure. "We know it can be overwhelming and we're a pretty forgiving group, so don't stress." 

My cousin Sarah, overheard and laughed. She called her husband over. "Hey, Harry, come over here and reassure the two new guys we won't bite!" She turned to Jack and Mark. "I'm Sarah by the way, this is my husband Harry, and he forgot everyone's names for the first six get-togethers in a row." Harry nodded looking a little shame faced. He drew Mark into a conversation and out from behind the chair. Sarah leaned over. "Hey, why didn't you take off your coat, [y/n]? Aren't you hot?"

I shook my head, snuggling into Jack further. "No, I'm really cold lately. I'll take it off in a little while when I get warmed up, don't worry." Jack smiled at me.

Sarah shrugged as she moved aside for someone else walking into the room. Before long, someone had gotten out a copy of Cards Against Humanities, and we were drawn into the game. As we played, I started to warm up, so that by the time the game was over, I was no longer trying to merge into Jack's side and I was ready to take my coat off. I got up, asking them to deal me in the next game and put my coat in on the bed before returning. At first no one noticed my baby bump, but I stayed sitting in close to Jack, so I was partially shielded from view. The second hand, when I reached out to play my card, Sarah noticed. She whispered something to Harry, who looked over and nodded. Then Harry cleared his throat. Everyone looked over at him. "So, when were you going to mention you are having a baby, [y/n]? Or were you going to wait until they got here to share the news?"

All eyes turned to me. I laughed. "No, I wasn't waiting until the babies got here. I just was waiting until the right time. It's not like I'm that far along."

Jack grinned at me and leaned in close to whisper "Now ye've done it. I wonder how many of yer relative will pick up on that little 'slip' of babies." I winked at him.

Several people moved in to congratulate us, when suddenly my grandmother, who was watching us play and listening to the conversation stepped in. "Did you say babies? As in more than one?"

I nodded. "Surprise! I'm having quadruplets. Actually, it's two sets of twins." I grabbed my purse and pulled out the sonogram pictures to pass around. Everyone congratulated me and my boyfriends for quite some time, before I suggested we go back to the game. Everyone agreed and we played until it was time for me to get up and go carve the turkeys. I did so quickly, efficiently, and with pride. Afterwards, we all sat down and ate. Conversations ranged from pregnancies (mine was only one of four in the family right now) to jobs, to children's achievements to plans for the next get-together. I told everyone we would be missing Christmas, but we would be around for New Year's so they planned a New Year's dinner as well as discussing Christmas plans. We mentioned we would be in Ireland, so everyone was asking about that. After we all finished eating, someone turned on the TV and football. The children all raced down to the basement to play video games, except a few of the older ones who wanted to meet Jack and Mark. They peppered me with questions as well, and seemed awed that I knew so many people they thought of as famous. I grinned at them. One of them, Sarah's oldest daughter, who happened to be fourteen, was named Gabrielle and she was in awe of my channel. Eventually, even the lure of our Internet fame wasn't enough to make the kids stick around near their parents and they left to go watch a movie and surf the web. I chuckled. "So, what do you think of my family, guys? Are they crazy enough for you?"

Mark and Jack laughed. Mark responded "They're all awesome, just like you. I can't believe how close everyone is. It's really nice to see and everyone is so warm and inviting."

Jack nodded adding "I hope my family lives up to this."

I grinned over at him. "I'm sure they will be lovely." I stifled a yawn, only slightly successful. Jack and Mark came over to sit next to me, looking concerned. "Guys, I'm fine. I'm just full and sleepy. "

Aunt Meg overheard this and laughed. "You're pregnant. Of course you're tired. Do you need to go take a nap?"

"Nah. I'll be fine. I'll sleep on the car ride home."

Jack eyed me closely. "Ye better. And if ye need to, lean on us now. No one will mind if ye nap a little now."

I made a face. "I don't need a nap."

My aunt laughed again. "You sound like a cranky toddler."

I shook my head and turned to watch the football game, ignoring the rest of the conversation. Before long I felt Jack, lean into me, also watching the game. Mark pulled us both in close and we sat, comfortable and cuddling until Mom declared it was time to go. I was more than ready, starting to feel creeping exhaustion taking root in my brain. I said my goodbyes and climbed into the car. As soon as Jack and Mark were settled in, they leaned into me and I snuggled down, putting my head on Jack's shoulder and falling instantly asleep. I was asleep before Darrell ever even made it out to the car. 

I woke up when we pulled into the driveway at my mother's house, but only long enough to drag myself in and crawl into pajamas. I didn't even make it under the covers before I fell asleep, but I felt strong arms lift me up and set me down, tucking the blankets around me before Jack and Mark joined me in the bed. I knew nothing more until the next morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody, thanks for reading. Just a heads up. Friday, July 15th and Saturday, July 16th, I might not be able to post. My mother is having surgery and I may not be around those two days. I will try to post something if I can, but I'm just not sure at this point if I will be able to. If I can, it might not me for this story either, it might be a one-shot for the sunshine project, at least on Friday.


	45. My First Visit to Cincinnati

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, Thanksgiving is over. Now it's time to meet the rest of Mark's family in Cincinnati...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm baaaack! Sorry for the extra few days away. I still am not back to 100%, BUT I will be writing again, because it helps me feel better. I may not be able to post everyday, but I am going to try...
> 
> And since I was gone so long, this is an extra long chapter! *MWAH* *Kisses for everyone!*

Jack and Mark had to fly out the day after Thanksgiving, leaving Momiplier and I to wrap up the visit with my family. Darrell and Clarissa, who had a long drive ahead of them, drove Mark and Jack to the airport when they left, claiming it wouldn't take them out of their way more than fifteen minutes, where as it would take anyone else at least two hours to take them in and come back. We all agreed, but I was still was reluctant to see them go when the time came. They cuddled me extra close and whispered goodbyes to the babies all morning before they left and I knew I was going to miss them like crazy for the week we would be separated, but I also knew I would feel a lot better without the extra travel. I wished Darrell and Clarissa goodbye, congratulating them once more as they drove off with the guys. Momiplier and I would be flying out on Wednesday. Thomas was coming to pick us up from the airport, which would be my first in person meeting with him and I was both anxious and a little nervous. He had seemed really nice so far, but the nerves were still there. Jack, Mark, Wade, and Molly were flying to Cincinnati next Saturday, after filming wrapped on Friday, and we were all getting together at Momiplier's house with Thomas and his wife, for dinner. Sunday, Mark had promised to visit Dee, bringing us out to meet her in person for the first time. We would be spending time with Mark's other friends and family in the area during the rest of the week we would be there, before we leave for Ireland on December Twelveth. We would be staying there until the Wednesday after Christmas, the twenty-sixth, to fly home for my doctor's visit and a brief visit with our friends still in California, before flying out on the thirtieth to visit my family for five days, then heading back to Cincinnati for a longer visit and my charity live-stream for St. Jude's with Molly and Wade on the eighth of January.

After Mark, Jack, Darrell, and Clarissa left, I sat down and called Danica. I wanted to check in and see how things were going at the office. It was a good thing I did. Danica informed me that I was receiving so much fan mail and so many gift packages, I was overflowing the P.O. Box every single day. I was stunned. I asked her to keep picking things up as many times a week as she could manage until she needed to leave to visit her family for the holidays. She told me, with a smile clear in her voice, that she wasn't leaving for the holidays. Her girlfriend's family lived about forty minutes away and her own family had some issues with her 'life choices', so she no longer visited them, but she liked visiting her girlfriend's family better anyway, so it worked for them. I thanked her for sharing that with me and asked her if she would mind continuing to empty my mail daily until I got back. She readily agreed. She then informed me I had requests from several groups, requesting I speak about poly relationships if I could find the time. A few of them sounded interesting, so I asked Danica to send the information on to me via email, so I could go over it and try to work something out. Once I was done talking with her and hung up, I called Gary and Adam to check in with them as well. They were doing fine, so these were very short calls. 

Since I had checked in with work, I decided I was going to take a short nap and then film a few more vlogs. I stood up to stretch, moving away from the couch, where I had bee sitting since everyone left earlier, and walked over to the window to look outside. Chica was playing with Eddie and Ray, who was staying through the weekend. They all looked like they were having a lot of fun. I smiled. Momiplier and Mom were in the kitchen, cooking something for later. I went out and grabbed a drink and half a sandwich from the fridge. As I ate, I watched Mom's familiar presence in the kitchen merge with Momiplier's kitchen know-how. They seemed to be getting along really well too. I finished my snack, rinsed my plate, and headed back to bed for that nap. 

I awoke feeling more energetic than I had in weeks. I reached down and rubbed my baby bump, smiling, and murmured "So, babies, were your daddies sucking away all our energy? Or are you just being extra good for Mommy since they are away?" I almost felt a little silly for talking to them, but I couldn't resist. I got up and headed back to my seat in the living room. It was nearly five o'clock and I knew Jack and Mark would be landing within the hour in LA. I looked out the window before I sat down, noticing Chica was alone outside now. I walked over to the door and called her in, Putting her doggie blanket on the couch next to me. She settled in for a cuddle while I checked out Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Tumblr. After a little while, I noticed she had rested her head on my lap and she was staring at my belly. I looked down and smiled at her, rubbing her head. She looked up at me for a minute, before settling back down to stare at the baby bump. It was adorable. I snapped a picture and sent it to Mark and Jack, captioning it, 'Someone loves our babies too, I think.' I got a reply within ten minutes. Jack sent back a kissy emoji. 

Mark called me. "Hey babe, that was perfect timing. We had just gotten off the plane and were grabbing our luggage. Wade is coming to get us, but he sent me a text he was held up in traffic. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine since you left, Mark. You were here this morning. It's not like I was out doing marathon training since then. I called the office and talked to Gary, Adam, and Danica, checking in on them, I took a nap, and I ate. I'm checking social media now and snuggling Chica. Poor Chica's all worn out from playing with Eddie and Ray all day, huh girl? Do you want to say Hi to daddy?" I held the phone over to Chica who barked once and tilted her head. I heard Mark say something to her before I put the phone back up to my ear. "Okay, I'm back now. And Chica's back to staring intently at my tummy. So how was the flight?"

Mark laughed. "Cramped as usual. Other than that, not too bad. Jack and I were able to catch up on some social media and we watched some YouTube as we flew, so it was relaxing in that way. We miss you though."

I smiled and rolled my eyes. "I miss you both too, but it's only for a few days."

"Well, days, weeks, months, however long it is, it's too long."

Jack must have grabbed the phone away from Mark, because the next thing I heard was Jack saying, "Love, promise ye'll take it easy while we aren't there ta watch ye. We love ye."

"I promise. Really guys, I am taking it easy. I feel more energetic now than I have since I found out I was pregnant. I'm not sure if the iron supplements are finally helping, or what, but when I woke up from my nap, I was back to my old energy levels. I think after dinner I'll probably record a vlog or two and send them off to Danica to edit." Unless, I decide to edit them myself, I thought, not sharing that with the guys.

Mark replied "Okay, if you're sure you're alright, we better go. Wade just got here and we need to load our luggage and get home. Tell Chica we love her. We love you too. See you as soon as we can get to Cincinnati! Buh-Bye!"

I grinned. Mark had nearly said goodbye to me with his video outro. I sent him a text, teasing him about that. I got a nearly instant reply. Apparently, Jack had thought the same thing, and made sure Mark knew it as well. I giggled, imagining Mark mentally face palming his forehead at our teasing. I was glad to know they had arrived safely. Momiplier came in, sitting down in the chair nearest the door and smiling at Chica and I. "Was that Mark and Jack? Are they home safe?" I nodded. "Good. I'm glad they called, so you wouldn't worry. Now, your mother and I made some dinner if you're hungry. Eddie and Ray are out, but they promised they would be back tonight, but not to wait the food for them. Do you want to eat now, or wait until a little later?"

I leaned back a little into the couch cushions. "Um, to be perfectly honest, I think I want to wait a little while. It seems to early for dinner. Plus I'm too comfortable to move right now. Chica would probably rather I wait as well."

Momiplier laughed. "Alright. It's soup, rolls, and salad, so just go get some whenever you are hungry. The rolls are homemade sweet potato crescent rolls and the soup is a turkey, vegetable, noodle soup with Korean spices. We also made some turkey enchiladas, but those are still baking, and we thought they might be better for lunch tomorrow. When you get hungry, let one of us know, we'll bring your food to you, so you don't have to displace the dog or try to find a comfortable position again."

"Thanks. All that sounds delicious. It might be a little while before I actually get hungry though. If you're hungry go ahead and eat without me."

Momiplier chuckled. "Nope. We've been sampling all day, tasting as we cooked to make sure the seasoning was right. To be fair, we didn't eat much of anything, but a bite here and there still adds up when you have so many different things to try."

I nodded. I knew. I cooked too, and that is the best way to know exactly what the final dish is going to come out like. Some days when i cooked, I swear I ate half a meal before the dish ever finished, and that's why I sometimes didn't even eat at all after I cooked a lot. I just wasn't hungry anymore. "Yeah. I am like that too. I ate that snack right before my nap though, so that's why I'm not hungry yet. I'm just working on a little social media catch up and checking in with the office right now, so if you want to watch TV or chat, just let me know and I can set this aside for later. I might record a vlog or two sometime tonight, but I haven't decided exactly what to record, unless I just post a baby bump update and another responding to comments video. Those are both popular and quick to film."

Momiplier laughed. "Do you spend all your time thinking about either the babies or work?"

I blushed, feeling like she had caught me being naughty. "Well, not ALL the time. Just mostly. I also think about Jack and Mark a lot, finding a new house, and what projects outside work I need to get accomplished. Oh, and I think about Chica and how we can get her moved in with us at home sooner, rather than later."

Mom walked in and heard the end of the conversation. She shook her head at me. "You think about so many things at once. Take it easy sometimes. It has been really good to see you just relaxing as much as you have while you've been here. Just remember while you're out in California, you have family back east that misses you and would love to have you visit more often." She came over and kissed my forehead.

I smiled at her. "I know, Mom. I would visit more often if I could, but I'm so busy as it is. It's going to be even tougher after these little ones get here." I rubbed my tummy fondly. I was already so in love with my babies, and they were such a central part of my life now, I couldn't imagine how I was going to feel in six or seven months when they were actually born. Both mothers smiled at me, clearly seeing where my thoughts were headed. Mom sat down and talked to Momiplier, so I went back to social media, responding to fan questions, reposting fan art, and answering some DM's from other YouTubers about possible collaborations. After about an hour, I decided I was hungry, so I shifted positions, getting ready to go get some food, but Mom saw me, guessed what I was doing, and waved me back into my seat, telling me not to disturb the sleeping dog or her unborn grandchildren. I rolled my eyes a little, but stayed put. She called out from the kitchen, asking me what I wanted. I responded and she made up a tray from me, grabbing the portable card table for me to use when she finished. I thanked her and settled in to eat. Everything was delicious, and I ended up eating more of the soup and rolls than I probably should have, but I was pregnant and it was healthy, so I wasn't too worried. 

After I ate, I recorded my vlogs, sending them off to Danica to edit, and decided to go back to bed and read for a while. I wasn't terribly tired, but I wanted to stretch out more, and Chica wasn't leaving my side. I took her out for the last time of the night, bundling up against the cold, and headed back to bed when she was done. She ran in the room ahead of me, ate some of her food and took a drink before climbing into the bed next to me and curling up at my side. I smiled as I settled in to read, my hand curled over the babies, Chica keeping me warm on one side, and snuggled under blankets.

The rest of the visit with Mom was pretty much the same, with the exception of the day my grandparents came out to visit. They lived about half an hour from my mother's house and on Monday afternoon, they stopped by unexpectedly. We had a great visit and I promised to send them copies of all future sonogram images and regular baby pictures after they were born. My grandmother also followed my Twitter account and Facebook, so I promised to make sure I posted some videos and pictures that way too. I smiled. Even though she was getting older, she was sharp and very interested in technology. They stayed through dinner, before my brother drove them home. Ray followed in his car, bringing Eddie back to his place later, since he lived closer to them and Eddie wouldn't have a car if he drove theirs home. I kissed and hugged them all goodbye when they left and had another quiet evening with Chica, Mom, and Momiplier.

Wednesday morning, Uncle James showed up to drive us in to the airport. Momiplier and I had gotten all packed up the previous evening, stowing everything we wouldn't need in front of the door so we could load up quickly. Our flight was at ten, so we knew we would have to leave fairly early to get to there on time and Chica might be a bit of a problem. It turned out, Chica was great! She got right in her doggie crate and we were able to get loaded and out the door in record time. I kissed Mom goodbye and promised to call her on Christmas, if not sooner. Before I knew it we were in the air, leaving Washington DC, and heading for Ohio. It was a very short flight, taking under two hours, so we weren't feeling too cramped or stiff when we got off the plane. We retrieved our luggage, found Chica, and started looking for Thomas. He found us before we saw him. He came right over and hugged Momiplier.

"Welcome home, Mom. How was your flight? How was your visit with Mark? And how was Thanksgiving?"

Momiplier chuckled. "Everything was great. [Y/n]'s family was amazing. They were all very welcoming and friendly. Her mother and I exchanged contact information, and I have the feeling I have a new friend. She doesn't even live that far away. Now how was your holiday? Did you have a good Thanksgiving with Julie's family?" ** _{A/N-- Julie is the name of Thomas's wife in real life. Like I have stated earlier, I try my hardest to use as much real info as I can find without getting too invasive of people's personal information and maintaining their privacy...}_**

Thomas smiled. "Great! They were all really glad I could make it and super happy you didn't mind me skipping out on you. When I explained the situation, they were thrilled you wouldn't be alone either. Now, come here, [y/n]." Thomas pulled me in for a hug. I smiled, hugging back.

"Good to see you Thomas."

He laughed. "Now, can I please see the infamous baby bump that Mark has been talking about to me on the phone about non-stop. He claims it is adorable, just like you, but I want to see for myself. Although, so far he seems to be telling the truth." He winked at me. We had been walking to Thomas's car, arriving just as he said that.

I blushed a little and unbuttoned my coat for just a moment and showing him, before shivering and climbing into the back seat. It was chilly and windy out, so I wasted no time in wrapping back up as warmly as I could. Momiplier grinned at me, telling me to settle in and get comfy. "Thomas and I can load the car. You take Chica next to you. She has been whining whenever she sees you and can't come over to sit with you, and we don't want that. Nesides, you look cold and she can help with that."

I smiled. It was true, ever since my baby bump had really started to show, Chica was glued to my side, constantly rubbing her nose against my bump, staring at it, or just curling us against me, as though she was sure I would disappear if she couldn't keep an eye on me at all times. Thomas nodded and shooed me into the car as well, hauling Chica out of her carrier and into the back seat. Chica dove right in, settling down as soon as I was seated with her head in my lap, one ear against my baby bump. It was super sweet. I smiled and rubbed her head, looking up just in time to see Thomas snapping a picture. "Hey, can you please send that to Mark and Jack?" Thomas laughed and agreed. "Thanks!"

The drive from the airport to Mark's mother's house went by quickly. Thomas stopped the car in the driveway, as close to the door as he could. Momiplier hopped out and went to unlock. I started to get out, but Chica whined for a moment, until suddenly she picked up her head and barked. Momiplier's three dogs all came running up to the car as soon as the front door was opened. Thomas opened the back door of the car on his side, letting Chica out, and I opened the door on my side. Chica was running around with Lucy, sniffing and playfully barking. I smiled. The other two dogs were coming over to join them at a slightly slower pace. I climbed out of the car and grabbed my laptop bag and rolling suitcase, wheeling it up the driveway and in the house. Momiplier immediately told me where to put my stuff and then instructed me I was to go sit down with my feet up. I shook my head. I had been sitting all day and needed to stretch a little before my butt went permanently flat. I wheeled my suitcase into Mark's room and got my things settled in. I then took my laptop bag into the living room and got it all set up, so I could use it when I sat down later. I hauled more of my stuff out of the growing pile in the front hallway, trying to be subtle and do it when Thomas and Momiplier weren't looking. Thomas caught me and winked, so I grabbed an armload and ran. Before I could do anymore, Momiplier came in with the rest of my stuff and the luggage Mark and Jack had sent ahead. I gave up and sat down on the edge of the bed, sorting out who's items were going where. Before long I was unpacked, or at least as unpacked as I was going to get, so I ventured out to the front of the house to watch the dogs play. As soon as I stepped out though, Chica came running up and sat down at my feet, refusing to leave my side again. Lucy and Maggie came up and sniffed me, tails wagging. I didn't see Bubble around yet, so I petted Maggie and Lucy. Chica watched everything, looking almost possessive of me. After I meet the dogs, I went back inside. Bubble came running up and after I let her sniff me for several minutes, I picked her up for a petting as well. Chica had followed me in. I gave a mental chuckle, thinking Chica had replaced Jack and Mark as my new babysitter.

I found Thomas and Momiplier chatting in the kitchen. As soon as I stepped in the room, Bubble jumped out of my arms and ran for Momiplier. I sat down at the table and joined them in the conversation. Before long, we decided it was time to eat some lunch, and Thomas volunteered to go get some food, since Momiplier's fridge was currently empty, having been away for several weeks. We agreed on some takeout, called the order in, and Thomas left to go get it. Momiplier and I got out some drinks and set plates out for when Thomas got back. Twenty minutes later, he pulled back in the driveway, food in hand. We ate, continuing to chat and I got to know Thomas much better than I had in just the phone calls and Skype chats we had had before this. By the time evening rolled around, felt like he was going to be my friend for sure. Julie showed up that evening, surprising us all, dinner in hand. It was the first time I had ever met or spoken to her, but she was extremely friendly and we got along quite well. Before long I was yawning. The long day had caught up with me, so I excused myself and headed out to take Chica on one last trip outside before I went to bed. She had been glued to me all day and as soon as I settled in the bed, she crawled in and joined me. I left the door open a little so she could get out if she needed to, knowing the doggie door would let her out and back in as she needed. I plugged my phone in next to the bed, along with my laptop, and logged on to Skype, chatting with Jack and Mark before drifting off to sleep. I missed them a lot more than I had even thought possible, and I knew they felt the same from what they were saying. Fortunately, it was just a few days until they would get here. I smiled at the thought, wished them goodnight, whispered a goodnight to the babies, rubbing my belly, and fell asleep. I was in Cincinnati for my first real visit and so far it was really nice.

The next day, I had the house to myself for most of the day, as Thomas and Julie had gone home the previous night and Momiplier had errands she needed to run, including restocking the fridge and refilling prescriptions, that had her out of the house nearly all day. I offered to come, but she waved me off, saying I should stay here and watch the dogs instead. I smiled, seeing through the ruse, but complied. I recorded another vlog and spent the day on social media. I also read my book and played with the dogs, spending time just playing catch and getting some gentle exercise. We all went for a walk, with me bundled up in as many layers as I could manage, just so I would stay warm enough. I was a gorgeous day, and the neighborhood was very pretty and quite peaceful. It was perfect.

I made myself some leftovers for lunch and cleaned up my dishes as soon as I was done, taking pleasure in the fact I was neither exhausted, nauseous, or being told to sit down and take it easy for the first time in weeks. It seemed my morning sickness had finally released me from it's death grip, and with it, much of the fatigue had vanished as well. I was officially out of the first trimester this week, being twelve or thirteen weeks along, and most of my miserable symptoms were clearing up, leaving me feeling much more like myself, if slightly more hormonal and much larger than before. My baby bump was starting to be visible even with the baggy clothes I tended to wear and you could even spot it when I was wearing my coat, if you knew what you were looking for. My energy levels were returning as well, so I sat down after lunch and worked on an animation, finishing in record time. I edited it myself and posted it as a bonus video, a thank you to my fans. I also recorded and edited a bonus vlog, thanking everyone for the wonderful support I had received so far and promising to get as much done now that I was feeling better as I could before life got too crazy again. 

When I was done recording, I put my camera and laptop away, wandering into the kitchen once more. I had a serious craving for some chocolate cookies, so I dug around in the cupboards, finding everything I would need except eggs. I knew Momiplier was getting some while she was out, but I wanted cookie now. I decided to find a recipe online that didn't call for eggs. Once I had one that looked good, I whipped up a double batch, cooling them on the wire racks I found under the counter, just like at my mother's house. They smelled really good, so I grabbed one as soon as they were cool enough to eat. They weren't at all bad, but they needed more chocolate I decided, so I melted some chocolate in a double boiler and dipped the cookies in, letting them cool again in the wire racks. I checked one of these. Much better. I smiled, cleaning up the dishes, and drizzled the last little bit of chocolate over the cookies before washing, drying, and putting away all the pans. 

Momiplier came home not long after and was greeted by the smell of warm chocolate. She smiled, seeing me sitting at the table, reading and eating a cookie slowly, savoring both my book and food. I helped put the groceries away as much as she would let me, and she grabbed a few cookies and joined me at the table. We passed an enjoyable afternoon chatting, and I insisted on cooking dinner, making a dish with broccoli, peppers, pasta, shrimp, and cheese that she had never had before, but declared her new favorite. We talked all evening and she seemed relieved when I told her the morning sickness and fatigue were finally lifting. She was the first one to head back to bed that evening, and I once again took Chica out and logged on to the computer to say goodnight to Jack and Mark. Tomorrow would be the last day of filming for them before they flew out the next day, and I knew there was a cast party, so I told them to have fun and I would see them the day after. They wished me goodnight, sending love and kisses for me and the babies. I fell asleep smiling again.


	46. Reunited at last*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark and Jack are in Cincinnati now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Light smut in this chapter. 
> 
> And it's a long one so, that's why it's late. Sorry for no update on Wednesday, I wrote too much on one of my other stories and had to fix my computer. (I swear I think 11000+ words is a little long, even for me. *Blushes and runs away*)

I was impatient for Friday to be over and done with, making me slightly out of sorts all day. Momiplier didn't seem too upset with me however and since she was the only one around, it really only effected the two of us. Chica and Lucy spent the day playing when they weren't by my side. For some reason, Lucy had decided to adopt me and was also glued to me, just like Chica. I blamed their following me everywhere on some of my grumpiness, but I knew in my heart, most of it was just the fact that I missed Jack and Mark so much. Actually knowing they would be coming tomorrow but weren't here yet was worse torture than anything else I could think of at the moment. I felt like a little kid, having been told Christmas was the next day, but the day was really a week long. Never had time moved so slowly for me. I tried everything I could think of to distract myself, but nothing really worked for very long. Finally the day was over and I snuggled down into bed, Chica curled up beside me. Jack and Mark were probably still at the cast party, so I doubted they would be on Skype that night, but I still logged on to check. I was right, no sign of them, so I sent them a message saying goodnight and shut my computer off for the night, settling down in to sleep.

Saturday morning I slept late for some reason. I had been getting up early ever since my energy levels were returned, but this morning I couldn't wake up. As I sat up in bed, I sneezed. Well, shit. I guess I was coming down with a cold. I dragged myself out of bed and grabbed my robe, putting it on over my pajamas, and headed for the kitchen. I was hungry so I made myself eat some scrambled eggs and toast. I also drank a large glass of juice. I was sniffling and achy so I found Momiplier's tea kettle and put it on to boil, making some mint tea with a touch of honey, orange, and ginger, my personal cold remedy. I always added fresh ginger and orange peel, boosting the vitamins and soothing both my stomach, throat, and sinuses with the added flavors. The honey made the bitterness of the orange peel palatable and helped soothe my sore throat as well. Mint was healthy and had no caffeine, and helped punch through clogged sinuses, making it the perfect finishing note for me. I brewed a large pot after the water was boiled, know I would need to drink more while I was sick and also knowing I could easily reheat the brewed tea in the microwave if I needed to. I sat down in the living room with my tea and started sipping the hot liquid, looking around for signs Momiplier was awake or around, and finally I noticed a note on the door which stated she had taken the dogs out for the morning and she would see me later, when she came back. She also mentioned it might be awhile since she was going to run some errands as well, so I got my book and curled up under a blanket, sipping tea and trying to will my cold away. The guys were flying in soon, and I wanted to be at full strength when they got here, not a whiny, sniffling, mess. I fell asleep not long after I finished my first cup of tea. When I woke up and looked at the time, I was quite surprised. I had slept the whole morning away! Mark and Jack would be landing in under an hour. I sat up to go bake a cake, but started coughing as soon as I moved. It lasted quite a few minutes, so I leaned back and moved more slowly when I got up a few minutes later. I reheated my tea and drank another two cups, before deciding it would be better not to make everyone sick by baking. I washed my hands extra thoroughly and grabbed a few cookies, looking in the fridge for something to eat for lunch. I decided on leftovers and reheated a meal, sitting down on the couch again, under the blanket. I ate slowly, and felt better after I was done. Mostly my cold had been inconvenient so far, but I wanted to make sure I was taking care of myself, especially now. I grabbed my phone and started answering social media after I finished eating and cleaned up my dishes. I didn't realize my nose was red and my eyes were watery looking until Mark, Jack, and Momiplier all came in to surprise me a little while later and commented. I was super excited to see the guys, but I still got up slowly, so I wouldn't hurt my sinuses or trigger another coughing fit. I hugged them both as soon as I was up, kissing them on the cheek, so I didn't breath germs directly into their mouths as soon as they got in. They hugged me back and teased me about getting sick. I sat back down and cuddled under the blanket, feeling sleepy again after a few minutes, Jack sat down next to me and I scooted over to snuggle with him, leaning on his shoulder as I did so. He smiled and patted my knee with one hand, resting his other on my baby bump, that arm draped over my shoulder. Before long he started rubbing little patterns on my tummy and it was so soothing I fell asleep. Mark took a picture for his phone, which he showed me later. When I saw it, the first thing I noticed was how visible my baby bump was really becoming. I swear, it looked a lot bigger now than it had even a week ago. The second thing I noticed was that I did indeed look sick. It was still a sweet picture, but I felt like I hardly looked my best in it. The two naps, combined with the enormous amount of tea, seemed to have kicked my cold however, because when I woke up that evening, I could breath normally, my throat wasn't all scratchy, and I wasn't tired and achy anymore. I smiled to myself and went to find everyone else, since they had all disappeared while I was asleep.

They were all in the kitchen helping Momiplier make dinner. I remembered Julie and Thomas were coming over, so I asked if there was anything I could do to help. When they told me no and tried to shoo me out, I grabbed another glass of juice on my way out. Since I was feeling better, I cleared my stuff out of the living room and changed the bedding in the bed, to contain the germs. I stuck them in the washing machine and started the load while everyone else was busy in the kitchen. I had also changed clothes and washed them with the bedding and blanket from the living room, trying to wash all the germ infested items at once. I remade the bed with clean sheets, pillowcases, blankets, and grabbed a spare throw blanket from the linen closet for on the couch. Once I was done, I headed into the bathroom and brushed my hair. I was relieved to notice my nose no longer was red and very relieved to feel like I was no longer struggling to breath through my nose. After I had neatened up a little, I headed back to the living room with the clean blanket and sat down on the couch beside my waiting juice. I had just gotten comfy and opened my book when Mark came out. "Oh good, you're awake. And hey, you look like you feel better. How are you?"

I smiled up at him. "Comfy and warm. And yes, I do feel better. I drank a ton of my special cold remedy tea earlier and I think my cold is already gone. It wasn't much of one anyway. Are you still helping with dinner, or do you want to snuggle? I didn't get to see much of you earlier because I fell asleep so fast, and the babies and I missed their daddies." He grinned down ant me before coming around to lift me up from my seat, making me squeak in surprise, before settling back down with me in his lap. "I could have moved over for you, you goof. You didn't need to pick me up."

He smiled bigger and leaned in for a kiss. "I didn't need to, but I wanted to. You looked too adorable for words. Besides, you should save your energy." I raised an eyebrow and he blushed. "Um, not for that. Well, unless you want to. I meant because of the cold and the babies." He was still blushing when I took both his cheeks in my hands and frenched the hell out of him, shocking him speechless. 

It was my turn to grin. I leaned forward and whispered "Babe, my energy levels are back to normal for the last few days, except for the cold, but I told you, I'm pretty sure it's gone. I'm not at all tired." I winked at him. "But I wouldn't mind going to bed..." It was a good thing I was still whispering because Momiplier chose that very moment to walk into the room to check on me. I smiled over at her when I saw her coming, over Mark's shoulder. Mark was flushed and blushing hard. And from what I could feel under my bottom, his blush wasn't the only hard thing here. I mentally smirked.

Momiplier looked at me. "You look a lot better than when we first got back. I made chicken and dumpling soup for dinner, which is my cure all remedy, but it looks like it wasn't needed." She stepped out from behind the couch and noticed Mark. "My goodness Mark, are you alright? You look uncomfortable and overheated. You're not getting sick are you?" I was mentally chuckling as Mark gave me a dirty look.

"I'll be fine Mom. I'm just warmer than I thought from being in the kitchen and snuggling under the blankets with [y/n]. She can put out quite a bit of heat." I snuggled innocently against his chest, wiggling my butt slightly creating some wonderful friction. Mark had to bite back a groan as he wrapped an arm around me and whispered "Stop that. I don't want to have an embarrassing incident in front of my mother, but so help me, if you keep doing that, I will ignore her and carry you off caveman style."

I kissed his cheek again, still acting innocent and murmured "Ooh. Someone's getting all worked up." I saw Momiplier looking at the two of us and shaking her head. I was fairly sure she knew what was going on as she headed back to the kitchen because she turned around and winked at me as she left. 

Then just when Mark thought we were in the clear she announced "I shouldn't have to remind you this Mark, but no sex on the couch." I started giggling uncontrollably as Mark buried his face in his hands. A minute later a confused looking Jack was pushed out of the kitchen by Momiplier, telling him "Go. Your girlfriend missed you and she's playing with Mark. Give him a break before she breaks him." I laughed harder, not at all embarrassed.

Jack came over and sat down next to us and I shifted positions so I was now sitting in both their laps, my legs draped over Jack and my butt in Mark's lap. Mark growled as I moved. I wasn't helping his situation any and I my have used the innocent movements to grind a little more than I needed to. Apparently, the new energy levels had also come with an unexpected shift in my libido. I felt like my brain had been pumped full of aphrodisiacs, and I really, really, REALLY wanted some alone time with my men. Both of them. Now. I smiled at Jack, my thoughts still hidden. One more slight shift made Mark moan out loud, Jack looked at him startled. Mark grabbed me by the waist, both arms around me. "Sit still, dammit woman. I can't take anymore." I pouted slightly at him and he let go of my arms and put his hands on my baby bump, not releasing me from the locked position between his arms, just not holding me in place with his hands. 

Jack watched the whole thing, still looking confused. "Mark, are ye okay? Ye look kind of red." 

Mark turned to look at him. "She's torturing me" he whimpered. Jack looked at our positions, and realized what must have happened. He raised an eyebrow.

I leaned forward and kissed him, trying not to shift too much for Mark. I wanted to tease, not kill him. Jack was still looking at me with the raised eyebrow when our lips met. At first it was a soft, gentle, loving kiss. After a few seconds, I deepened it, suddenly shifting it from innocent to smoking hot before he could process it. I saw his eyes widen suddenly and his gaze turn from slightly amused and interested to pure lust. I smiled into the kiss and once again shifted it just slightly, so now I was frenching him. He closed his eyes and when I drew back he convulsively swallowed, as though he was going to choke on his swollen tongue. I shifted my feet on his lap, brushing his suddenly at attention boner, under my legs and the blanket. He bit back a moan and swore. I grinned. Mark leaned his head onto my shoulder in defeat and groaned. I had gotten them both hot and bothered, ready to head to bed, but we were expecting company and in Mark's mother's house, so they were trapped. I was planning to make it up to them later, but for now, I was in charge. I pulled them both into a hug, whispering "That's what you get for leaving me alone for a week." I sat up and stood up, taking the blanket with me as I wandered into the kitchen. Both men squirmed uncomfortably and shifted, clearly trying to adjust to keep up with me. "I'll be right back boys, I just need to get a drink. Do either of you need something cool?" I said the last from the kitchen doorway, my back to Momiplier, a wicked gleam in my eyes. They both nodded. "I'll grab you some waters. Wait right there for me..."

Momiplier shook her head at me. "I know what you're doing. Good for you. Just don't break them. I don't want to have to deal with the mess." I grinned at her. It was good to be understood and she and I had come to understand each other quite well over the course of the last month. She liked my wicked sense of humor and I knew she had one as well. We both dearly loved both boys, but we still teased them, just in different ways. While I was getting the three bottles of water from the fridge, the doorbell sounded. Momiplier grinned and winked at me. "Mark, honey, go get the door. That's Julie and Thomas." I giggled, she was just a bad as I was. We heard some quiet cursing from both men and I headed back in to watch the fun, sitting on Jack's lap this time, while we waited for Mark to come back down the hall. Suddenly, Chica bounded in, Lucy hot on her heels and they both dived for me, knocking me out of Jack's lap to sprawl, buried by dogs, on the couch. 

I looked over at Jack who was staring open mouthed. "Um, can you help me up please? Chica, get off, baby, you're kind of heavy." Chica was once again laying on me, nose to baby bump. Lucy was laying over my legs and crushing them and Jack. That's when Mark walked in. He goggled. 

"Lucy, Chica, down." Chica looked over and then ignored Mark. Lucy whined and got down. Jack helped me get Chica off me and I sat up again. Thomas and Julie were watching from behind Mark. "Chica, bad. You know better than to jump on people. Go lay down. Go lay down." Chica just shifted a little and stood at my feet, staring at my baby bump again. Mark dragged her off me, over to her doggy bed. and made her lay down. "Stay."

I stood up and went over to Julie and Thomas, giving them both hugs. "Hi guys, great to see you both again. Sorry for that little show. I don't even know where the dog were before, but they both came in at the same time."

Thomas smiled at me. "Chica still won't leave you alone, huh?" I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

Jack had come over to shake Thomas's hand and meet Julie. Mark looked at me. "When did you meet Julie? I swear I didn't introduce you before. I always meant to, but either she was busy or I forgot."

I grinned. "She came over and had dinner with us on Wednesday night and stops by most nights for at least a little while. Thanks for the rescue by the way. Chica has been so good lately, except for being clingy and insisting on touching my baby bump nearly all the time." I shook my head, she was not usually one to jump on people anyway.

Mark looked down at her. She was whining slightly. "Chica, no. You be a good girl. We're all okay. We're right here. Now, go to sleep." He turned back to us. "I have no idea what's bringing that on. Maybe she'll calm down, now that I'm here. Anyway, Julie, this is our boyfriend, Jack. Jack, this is Tom's wife, Julie." 

Jack and Julie looked at each other before she reached over and hugged him, startling him slightly before he hugged her back. "I've heard a lot about you, all good, from your girlfriend in the last few days. So now for the real question." I felt both my boyfriends brace to be asked who the father was, but I had already discussed this at length with both Thomas and Julie. I winked at her. "Who's sitting where?"

I giggled at the men at my backs sagged. "Jack, Mark, and I were on the couch, so we'll probably head back there, unless you two want to take that? We can sit on the loveseat or I can make them find chairs." Julie laughed and pulled Thomas over to the loveseat facing the couch. Momiplier poked her head out of the kitchen and smiled at all of us, telling us dinner would be ready in about half an hour or so. She ducked back in the kitchen and Jack and Mark sat down, close together. I was debating who to sit next to when they grabbed my waist and pulled me down onto their laps, making me sit one the center two knees. They wrapped their arms around me and hugged me, resting all four hands on my belly and I laughed a little. "Guys, I don't have to sit on your laps. I'm getting heavy, I can sit either between the two of you, or next to you. Or even on the other side of the room." The arms got tighter. "I didn't say I was moving, Jeez, stop trying to squeeze the babies out. They need more time in there." That got a laugh from Julie and Thomas and pressure on my stomach lessened. "Thank you."

I leaned back into them, finding a comfortable position with my head resting on both of their shoulders. Jack leaned in and kissed my cheek. "That's better. We missed ye. And tha babbies. We like talking ta them almost as much as we like talking ta their momma. Now, just sit there and be comfy." I smiled at him, seeing the pure joy in his face made my heart swell and I nodded. Mark leaned in and kissed my other cheek, earning a smile from me as well. 

Thomas and Julie were grinning at us. "Aren't they just sickeningly sweet?" I heard Thomas ask Julie this and saw her swat him, lovingly. I grinned at them. 

"Sorry to make you ill. Actually, this is pretty tame compared to how they are sometimes. It's kind of a wonder I don't have cavities from all the sweetness." Mark chuckled behind me, amused by my comment. "Or that they don't." That earned another chuckle from Mark and one from Jack this time as well.

Thomas groaned. "So you're that couple." Mark raised an eyebrow. "Or threesome, whatever."

I laughed out loud. Mark shook his head. "Not what I meant when I looked at you like that, but okay, thanks for making us sound tawdry."

I grinned. "That's not tawdry. It's awkward. Tawdry would have been if he had said we were that one night stand. Or maybe that group. That sounds more tawdry than threesome. Maybe lewd or bawdy is what you meant Mark."

He groaned. "Really? A vocab lesson? That's what you're turning this into?"

I laughed again. "Yep. Everyone can benefit from a little extra knowledge you know, Mr. I-could-have-been-an-engineer. Aren't you the one who told millions of people not to be afraid to be the dumbest one in a group, as long as you learned from the others?"

Jack, Thomas, and Julie all started laughing as well. Mark grinned and groaned. "You got me. Although to be fair, it wasn't millions of people. It was a few thousand."

"Until it went on the internet and got millions of hits. You know I'm right. Don't fight it."

"Fine, I surrender. You are right. You're always right." He leaned in and kissed me again.

"The sooner you remember that, the happier your life will be. That goes for you too Jack." Momiplier was back and she had heard the end of the conversation. Both men turned and blushed while I giggled again. She winked at me.

The playful banter continued all evening, slowing slightly during dinner as we all ate hungrily. I ate until I thought I was going to pop, because for some reason, today I was extra hungry. I listened to what my body was telling me, only stopping when I was too full to eat any more without being sick, even though I still felt hungry. Mark and Jack had been watching me for the last twenty minutes, wide eyed. "Did you forget to eat today, love?" Mark asked me.

I blushed a little as I shook my head. "I'm just really hungry. I didn't eat a lot earlier and fighting off the sniffles must have really worked up my appetite. I'm done now, though. It was delicious as always, Momiplier." 

Thomas grinned when he heard me call her that. "I always forget that's what you call her."

I chuckled. "Well, she agreed to it and it's easier than anything else. I call my mother Mom, her Momiplier, and well, we haven't talked about what I'll call Jack's mother yet. We also are going to have to have a meeting of the grandmothers to decide on what they want the babies to call them. I'm hoping by the time they are due we will have bought a house and have room to have everyone come visit, between the apartments and the house, at least for a little while. I know my brother Darrell and his wife might not be able to, since they are also expecting a baby a few weeks before me, but I'm hoping everyone else, at least immediate family, can make it out." 

Julie smiled. "We would love to, if we can work out the scheduling. It's shouldn't be a problem."

I smiled. "Great! We still have to ask Jack's family, but I thought that would be easier in person, and we are heading over there next week, so we can do it then. I'm really looking forward to meeting them. Jack is pretty amazing, and I have a feeling his family must be as well. They were all really supportive about the upheaval I have cause in his life, that's for sure. You guys have been as well. Thank you." I looked down for a minute. "One of my previous relationships wasn't as supportive as this one has been, but I found out before I got in too far. I just want everyone to be as happy as I am now." 

Jack leaned over and gave me a hug. "Love, ye make us all just as happy as we make ye, if not more. Ye are kind, sweet, and loving. I'm so sorry anyone ever hurt ye, but it's over now. Mark and I may be idiots sometimes, but we're yer idiots, and we aren't going anywhere."

I smiled at him. Mark cracked in "Are you trying to make her feel better or worse? Jeez, Jack. Stop helping."

Thomas laughed. I smiled over at Mark then looked back at Jack. I knew exactly what he meant and it was what I needed to hear more than he knew. Sometimes the ghosts of past failed relationships haunted me at the worst times, and this was one of them. Jack held my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He understood. I knew Mark did too, but he was trying to lighten the mood. I decided to change the topic. "Maybe I'm hungry because I'm not feeling morning sickness all the time anymore." I looked at Jack and Mark. "I officially am in the second trimester now and the morning sickness is gone. I even stopped taking those pills last weekend." I smiled and patted my baby bump. I was definitely looking pregnant now. Even though I was just barely fourteen weeks in, I looked over six months pregnant. My belly was getting bigger fast, but I had been told to expect this by the doctor. She had warned me I might suddenly just look much more pregnant as time progressed, because there were so many occupants in there. I was excited and happy for the most part, but was a little sad they my clothes were all fitting so poorly, even some of the new maternity ones I had gotten just before we left California a few weeks ago. Suddenly I felt something odd. It was almost a fluttering sensation and I went absolutely still, my eyes wide as I looked down. There is was again. Had I just felt one of the babies move? 

Mark saw my expression and got up at a run, knocking over his chair as he came over to me. "Babe, are you okay? Is something wrong? Do you feel sick?"

Jack was there a step behind, putting his arm around my shoulders and a hand on my stomach. "What happened?"

I looked up at them, with tears in my eyes. "I think I felt the babies move just now. I felt something, a few times. I swear I'm not imagining it!"

Momiplier grinned. "Probably not. You're at about the right time frame. What did it feel like?"

I described it as best I could, tears of joys still slipping down my face. "Um, kind of like a flutter, or a bubbling sensation? Maybe like a butterfly? I don't know exactly how to describe it." I looked down and rubbed my belly again, making little cooing noises. Mark and Jack were grinning and started rubbing my belly as well, sharing my joy.

Momiplier chuckled. "Yep, that's it. It'll will get stronger before long. I'm not surprised you felt anything this early, since you've got a full house. Sometimes it takes a lot longer before you can feel it. Thomas was such a calm baby, I didn't feel him until I was closer to six months along. Mark on the other hand made his presence know sooner and kicked like a manic." She grinned at him. "Somethings never change. He's still pretty hyper." She looked at Jack. "And so is you're other boyfriend. I have a feeling you are going to feel pretty bruised soon. Talk to the doctor if it gets too bad. I have a friend who's baby cracked her ribs from kicking."

I swallowed and nodded, still feeling awed by the very thought of my babies moving. Jack put his head down level with my tummy and whispered to the babies "Hello there. I'm one of yer daddies. Thanks for letting yer momma know ye're awake in there. We can't wait to meet all of ye, but take yer time. Ye need to grow up healthy and strong, and yer momma is yer best bet for that. Now think boss thoughts." He kissed my stomach gently and I know I was grinning like an idiot. I pulled him in for a kiss as he straightened up. It was a sweet, tender, thank you kiss. He smiled into my eyes. "I love ye, [y/n]. More than I can ever say." I kept smiling at him.

Mark moved in to talk to the babies as well and I shifted to watch. "Hey babies. It's your other daddy here. You're all amazing little rock stars! Thanks for letting us know. We love you so, so much. Now, get comfy, mommy, daddy, and daddy are going to go take a walk. Talk to you soon. Mwah!" He did a loud stage kiss fro the babies and moved up and kissed me, passionately. "Thanks for sharing this with us. I can't imagine anything more perfect." I smiled at him. They were both telling me they loved me and demonstrating it in their own ways, and I knew it, feeling the love. I hugged him before I stood up.

"If you are serious about us taking a walk, which I would love by the way, this mommy needs to go to the bathroom first. I have been drinking so much tea, juice, and water today, it finally caught up with me." I went in to the bathroom and took care of business, feeling relieved. Julie and Thomas had opted to stay and help Momiplier clean up. I had offered to help as well, but they waved me away, telling me to take advantage of the beautiful weather while I could. I grinned and bundled up, adding layers to my outfit to stay warm. Mark and Jack watched, amused. Jack grabbed his coat, hat, and scarf, but Mark just grabbed his coat. I knew it was cold out, having taken a walk yesterday, and I had the feeling someone, or even two someone's might regret not wearing more layers of clothes before long. We walked outside, watching the stars twinkle as much as we could. The lights form the city were blocking some of their beauty, but they were still amazing. It wasn't very late yet, but since it was December, the sun set fairly early. It was a full moon tonight, or nearly, and between that and the streetlights, we could see just fine. There were plenty of other people out walking as well, some couples, some large groups, and a few people just walking alone. Jack and Mark each had one of my arms and were holding my hands, which I could feel through my gloves. We walked in silence for a little while before I noticed Jack shiver. I looked over at him. "Hey Jack, are you okay?"

He looked at me a made a face. "It's cold as BALLS out here!" 

I grinned. I knew he would get cold. I knew Mark was probably freezing as well, but was trying to be manly about it. "Do you want to head back? We could start back now and get something warm to drink as soon as we are home?"

Jack shook his head. "I'll be fine. I just wasn't expecting it ta be so cold. I should have known, by tha way ye dressed. Ye know how ta handle cold weather." He eyed Mark. "Unless ye need ta head back. Ye're not even dressed as warm as I am."

I giggled and noticed Mark had shrugged down into his coat as far as he could. "I'm f-fine. Not c-cold."

That made my mind up. "Come on, we're heading back. I need you two not to freeze to death before the babies get here. Let's go. We can all cuddle up under the cover when we get home. If you need to save face, I'll tell Momiplier, Thomas, and Julie that I'm tired and want you two to help warm me up." I looked at them and chuckled as they nodded. "Alright, ya big babies. We'll be home soon." I felt another flutter and couldn't keep the grin off my face. I murmured to my belly, "No, not you. Your daddies. Their the ones being big babies. You're all my sweet little angels right now. Mommy loves you." I patted my stomach through all the clothes, dragging Jack's hand along with mine, since he hadn't let go. 

As soon as we got home, I sent the two men to bed. I walked into the kitchen. Momiplier was the only one there. I raised an eyebrow. "Thomas and Julie headed home. Where are the boys? You didn't hurt them did you?"

I grinned, knowing she was teasing. "Nope. They didn't dress for the weather and are half frozen. I'm going to make them some hot cocoa to warm up and we are going to go cuddle in bed. I hope you don't mind an evening to yourself."

She grinned. "I kind of expected it. I was half expecting you to drag them in by the hair and ravish them. I'm glad to see you have some self control." I blushed thinking of the day that probably lead up to my unexpected pregnancy. I wasn't the one with no self control though. 

I smiled at her. "Is that why you sent Julie and Thomas home? To avoid the potential embarrassment?"

She laughed. "You're sharp. I didn't think Thomas needed to see his brother had landed a wild woman. It might scar him for life."

I chuckled and checked the saucepan. The milk was almost warm enough. I grabbed the other ingredient I wanted; sugar, cocoa, salt, and orange extract. Momiplier watched, looking curious. As soon as the milk was hot enough, I poured the cocoa and sugar into the pan, whisking hard. It frothed up nicely and I added a pinch of salt and tasted it. Good. Now I added the orange extract. I preferred banana, but I didn't see any in the cupboard. Vanilla worked in a pinch, but I preferred the subtle fruit flavor the extracts added and had even been know to use almond extract or mint once or twice. I offered a cup to Momiplier and poured three mugs for Mark, Jack and I. Momiplier tasted it and told me I should make sure to keep the recipe. I grinned. "It's not exactly a recipe. I am more of the dump some in until it looks right and taste it to check method. Now I'm going to go warm the boys up. By the way, if you like it this way, a kick of flavored liquor works just as well as the extracts, but since Mark can't drink and I'm pregnant, I decided to go with the safer option. Goodnight!" 

I back out the door and headed for the bedroom, hoping the guys had left the door open, at least a little. I was in luck. They had left it all the way open. I handed them each a mug, set mine on the end table, and took off my clothes quick as a wink. Mark and Jack watched, slightly surprised. Hey, it wasn't anything they hadn't seen before, and I had closed the door with my foot when I came in. "Momiplier says goodnight. Thomas and Julie had already left, so they didn't even know you were being whiny. Now, drink your drinks. I think you'll like them." I crawled into bed and had Jack hand me my drink. Mark took a sip and looked surprised.

"Wow. This is amazing. Where did Mom buy this?"

I chuckled. "She didn't. I made it. You can ask her, she watched. Now drink up. I have the feeling you are going to need the energy when I'm done with you."

Jack's eyes widened, and I felt him tense. 'What about Mark's mother?" I watched as he took his first sip of the drink, looking amazed.

"Who do you think sent Thomas home? She was afraid I was going to attack you in front of them and wanted to spare him the mental scars. She told me so herself. Now drink up and start stripping. I'm want you both right now."

Both men's eyes changed, lust filling their eyes. They downed their drinks quickly and started to undress. I watched every movement, slowly following the movements with my eyes. I had crawled under the covers completely naked and was starting to feel over heated so I tossed the blankets down to the end of the bed and moved over kissing Mark suddenly. He stopped getting undressed and kissed me back. I smiled into his mouth and told him to finish taking his clothes off like a good boy before moving over to Jack, who was to my pleasure, already naked and hard, just from watching Mark and I and the promise of things to come.. I frenched the hell out of him, grinding lightly as I did. He moaned and closed his eyes. Mark whimpered and we looked at him. "Is someone feeling left out?" He nodded. "Well, come here babe, we can't have that." He had finished stripping as was naked now as well, I pulled him in close and went back to frenching Jack while I ground on Mark for a few minutes, then I switched, kissing Mark and grinding on Jack. The were both hard and ready, making delicious noises in my ears. I proceeded to wear them out. Jack entered me and started riding me while I slid over and gave Mark a blow job. Jack and Mark both finished at the same time, much to my amusement, but I wasn't satisfied yet. I slid off Jack and grabbed the roll of paper towels, cleaning them both off quickly, getting them ready for round two. This time Mark was riding me and I gave Jack a blow job. Both men were completely worn out by the time they finished again and I was sleepy now as well, feeling satisfied. Jack got up, slightly wobbly, and got a washcloth to clean up. He washed all of us and I snuggled down in the bed, next to Mark. Jack slid back in next to us and wrapped his arms around us. Mark wrapped his arms around Jack and I as well, and we all drifted off to sleep. I slept better than I had in a long time, feeling exhausted in the best way possible.


	47. Meeting Dee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to meet Mark's step-mom.

I was the first one awake in the morning, and I woke up to the feeling of the babies moving. I smiled, enjoying all the love I felt, for the babies, for Jack and Mark, and pouring from them, even as they slept. I kept smiling as I shifted positions, trying to, get out of bed without waking Jack or Mark. I finally gave up. I was too big and awkward. I sighed. When I looked over, I noticed Jack had woken up. He was watching me, sleepily smiling. When he saw me look at him, he leaned in for a kiss. "Mornin' love. How are ye today?"

I smiled at him. "Wonderful, except I really need to use the bathroom." He moved aside and helped me out of bed. "Thank you, Jack. I couldn't quite manage that by myself this morning. I'll be right back."

He chuckled as I dashed for the toilet. After I finished, washing my hands as I left, I came back in. It had occurred to me while I was in there that I was still naked. Jack watched me come back in, a sweet smile on his face. "Feeling better?"

I laughed quietly so I wouldn't wake Mark up. "Yeah. I think the babies are crowding my bladder. I swear I have to get up and pee earlier every morning. And it's getting a lot harder to get out of bed by myself." I shook my head ruefully. "At least I woke up feeling really good. The babies were awake too, I felt them moving again." I smiled and patted my baby bump. Jack came over and rubbed the babies, standing beside me. I leaned against him, ignoring the fact that both of us were naked. 

We both looked up when we heard Mark's comment. "Why is everyone standing naked in the middle of my room? Is this the beginning of a really good dream?" He looked adorably sleepy with some major bedhead as he tried to blink the sleep from his eyes and figure out what was going on. 

I giggled. "No babe, I had to get up and pee. Jack helped me out of bed. We are naked because none of us bothered to gt dressed after last night." I smiled at Jack again. "And Jack came over here because I told him I felt the babies moving again this morning. Now, since everyone's awake, let's go surprise Momiplier with some breakfast."

Mark rolled over and groaned. "But I'm not awake."

"Then I guess you'll miss out on the chocolate chip-banana waffles and scrambled eggs I'm making." Jack grinned. Then I added "What time are we supposed to go visit your step-mother today?" 

Jack leaned over and whispered "Now that was just cruel. Are ye really making those waffles?"

I nodded. "Do you want to help?" He grinned and nodded. "Well, let's put some clothes on first. I doubt Momiplier needs to see us like this. It might put her off her coffee."

Mark laughed as he struggled to get out of bed. "Wouldn't be the first time she saw more than she wanted of some of her children's significant others. She caught Thomas and his girlfriends several times, naked or nearly so, back in the day."

I giggled. "Maybe so, but I doubt any of them were as pregnant looking as I am. And dear one, Jack is naked too. Do you really want us exposing ourselves to your mother?"

He suddenly realized what I meant and blushed. "Uh, no. Clothes it is. Now, what was your question about Dee?"

I grinned at him as I grabbed some underwear and a long, loose wine colored dress, in a warm, thick cotton. It would look good with a pair of boots I brought and it was easy to put on and take off, something becoming more important to me by the day. "I asked you, what time are we supposed to go visit your step-mother? I know it's today, but I can't remember what time."

Jack had gotten dressed in his usual jeans and a dark hoodie. Mark grabbed some clothes from his pile and started getting dressed as well, ending up in black jeans and a sweatshirt. When we were all dressed, I opened the door and we walked into the kitchen. Chica was there, waiting for us and she came over and sat down at my feet immediately, blocking me from moving. Mark grabbed her collar and lead her over to her dish, filling it up with her breakfast, but Chica was once again whining. I rolled my eyes and sat down, close by. Mark shook his head. "I don't understand her lately. She never does this." I looked at him. As soon as I was settled in the seat, Chica came over and laid down at my feet, not moving. Mark rolled his eyes. "Okay, then. Apparently she loves you and only you right now. We can figure it out later." He ran a hand through his hair, making it stand on end for a few seconds before it settled back down. "We are supposed to spend most of the day with Dee, so if we can get out of here by around ten, that should be good. I hope Mom doesn't feel too abandoned. I mean, we just got here yesterday, and already we are swooping in and out like maniacs."

Momiplier, who was standing in the doorway laughed. "So it's just like every other visit from you."

Mark blushed. "Sorry Mom. I didn't know you were standing there."

I winked at Jack. "We're going to make some breakfast. Do you want any waffles? Actually, I say we, but I'm going to supervise and tell the guys the proper proportions and they are going to mix and cook the waffles. They'll be chocolate chip-banana. And we are making some scrambled eggs."

Jack smiled and started gathering things up. He knew what to do, since he had been helping me in th kitchen for a while and before long he had assembled nearly everything. Momiplier watched, amused. "You've been training them I see. Smart."

I laughed. "Yeah, I love to cook, and Jack is learning how to make things, and he found I can make them faster with a good helper. Mark helps pretty often too."

Mark had been gathering the bowls, pans, and waffle maker, plugging it in to preheat. He turned back to us. "So, Mom. Waffles? Eggs? Coffee?"

"Sure. I trust [y/n], and she seems to have faith in you two, so I guess I do too."

Jack grinned. I directed him to get the last few items and how much of each thing to measure, starting with the dry ingredients like flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mark started the coffee and put the tea kettle on for me. Then he chopped the bananas up into small cubes for the waffle batter. After Jack had mixed everything together, I checked the consistency and told them to go ahead and add the chocolate chips and bananas. As soon as they mixed them all in, Mark started making the waffles, while Jack stepped over and crackled eggs into a bowl, he whisked them and added a splash of milk, a dash of salt and a good hit of black pepper. I was proud of how well it was going as I watched him pour the eggs into the preheated non-stick pan and stir them constantly, so they stayed fluffy and soft. I watched and told him when to kill the heat and move them to a dish. They came out beautifully. The waffles looked perfect too. Mark brought them over as soon as he had a good sized stack of them. I smiled at both men. "Thanks guys. Great job."

Mark and Jack both grinned, looking proud. Jack turned back to the fridge and found the syrup, butter, and some blackberry jam, which he knew I preferred. He carried them over and set them on the table before going over to the cupboard and getting plates, cups, and glasses out for everyone. Then he grabbed the juice and made me a cup of tea. Mark finished the last of the waffles just as Jack poured my juice. He brought the waffles and the pot of coffee over and everyone started dishing plates, taking what they wanted of everything. I put some butter and a little jam on my waffles and dug in. They were wonderful. I ate hungrily and before long my waffle was gone. I scooped some eggs on my plate and ate those as well. I was still hungry, so I grabbed a second waffle, omitting the butter and just using jam on this one. I felt full after that, fortunately, so I finished my apple juice and tea. Jack was finished as well, so he cleared our plates. Mark and his mom were still eating. I decided to go sit in the living room, where I could stretch out a little more and check social media. Jack followed me, as did Chica, who sat on my feet as soon as I was settled in. I shook my head at her and Jack settled in next to me, snuggling close. He pulled out his phone and started scrolling through Twitter, while I was looking at Tumblr. 

Mark joined us a few minutes later. Sitting down beside Jack and snuggling in to him. I smiled over at him before returning to my computer. After I finished on Tumblr, I checked Twitter briefly, before logging off. I nudged Chica off my feet and started trying to maneuver out of the couch, to go get my shoes and purse. I finally got free, no thanks to Chica, who had only moved enough to free my feet a few inches, and walked back to the bedroom, closing the door before Chica could follow. I grabbed my phone and asked Mark to take Chica outside to play with Lucy while I got ready. He sent back a smiley face and I heard the front door open and close. I put some warm tights on and slid my feet into my boots. The dress was a long one, coming down to my ankles, but I wanted the tights for the added warmth. I grabbed my purse and made sure I had everything I would need for the day before brushing my hair, styling it a little, and bundling up as much as I could to go out to the car. I finished just as Jack came looking for me. "Love, Mark says it's time ta go. Are ye ready?"

I smiled and adjusted my coat just a little. "Yep. Just finished."

Jack grinned and tossed his coat on as we walked out. We headed to the car, slipping by the dogs without notice and climbing in the back seat together. Mark looked at us from the drivers seat. "Comfy?" We looked at each other and nodded. "Okay. I'm not sure why I have to sit up here all alone, but okay. Let's get moving."

I leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek just before he started moving. "We love you Mark. I'm just cold, so Jack's going to keep me warm, okay? You keep me safe, he'll keep me warm. I'll protect the babies and love you both. Does that work for you?"

Mark smiled. "Perfect. I never looked at it that way before."

I sat back. "Jack keeps me safe too sometimes, just like you keep me warm." Jack grinned at me and snuggled in close, resting his head on the baby bump and a hand just in front of that. He whispered to the babies the whole drive as I smiled, playing with his hair. He was so freaking cute like this. I daydreamed imagining him playing with the babies, and later our children. I once again wondered if the babies genders would be discernible at the next ultrasound in three weeks time. I was hoping we could find out then. I wanted to share it with everyone, including my fans. I was hoping we would have at least two girls, and wouldn't mind all four of them being girls, but I knew I would love them just as much if they were boys.

These thoughts stayed with me as we arrived at Mark's step-mother's house. I knew she had told me to call her Dee, and she was very welcoming over the conversations we had so far, but I was still nervous about our first face to face meeting. She rushed out to meet us as soon as the car pulled into the driveway. Jack sat up, patting my belly and telling the babies he would talk more to them later. I kissed him sweetly when he passed, surprising him. "Thanks Jack. That was super sweet. The babies have two amazing daddies."

He smiled at me. "And one super amazing momma. Now, let's get all of us inside and warm. I don't want ye catching another cold." 

Mark grinned. "He's right, let's go."

Mark jumped out as soon as the car was in park and ran around to open my door. I thanked him and gave him a kiss. Dee came up just as we parted, smiling at us. "Hi Mark. Hello, Jack. Hey, [y/n]. Come on in all of you. It's great to meet some of you in person, and it's always good to see you Mark." We followed her inside. Jack and Mark took off their coats, while I started unwinding my scarf, taking off my gloves, and removing my hat. By the time I got down to the coat, Jack had stepped over to help, and Mark was holding the pile of removed items. We got my coat off, and added it to the pile before I also took off the sweater I was wearing in case I was still cold in the car. Dee grinned as she watched and exclaimed over my baby bump. "Oh my goodness, look at you! You're so cute, but so big already. What are you, four months along?"

I smiled crookedly. "Fourteen weeks from what the doctors thought last appointment. But, I do have four little passengers, who are growing at monster rates, so I know I'm going to get huge. I'm not too worried yet. Actually, I'm just really excited. I felt the babies move for the first time yesterday."

Dee clapped her hands. "Oh, that's so exciting. Now come on in and sit down, all of you. Mark, you can set those on the table in the hallway there, so we can find them again when you have to leave." Mark put the pile of clothes down, and I set my purse there as well. I followed Dee into a beautiful living room, painted a pale buttery yellow, with hardwood floors and bright green throw rugs and furniture. We sat down and started to get to know each other better. Dee was friendly and wanted to talk about the babies as much as I would let her. I realized she was going to want to be included in the grandmother list. I decided she would be invited out when the babies were born too, unless Mark objected. We could talk about it later, when we were alone. 

We had a really nice day, and by dinner time, we were sorry to have to go, but we had made dinner plans with Wade and Molly. I was looking forward to seeing them, since I hadn't seen them at all in about three weeks, and very little since Halloween really. We bundled me back up and Mark and Jack grabbed their coats as I kissed Dee goodbye, promising to keep her in the loop and send baby updates regularly. I also told her about my weekly, at least, vlogs on my YouTube channel, which she promised to check out. I climbed in the back of the car again and Jack got in with me, snuggling me right away. Mark grinned and drove us to the restaurant where we were meeting Molly and Wade. Jack was rubbing the babies again, in a soothing manner, but I felt them fluttering around and moving. I wondered out loud if Jack felt anything. He looked at me and shook his head, sadly. "Sorry. I just thought maybe you could feel them shifting. I guess there's too much padding in the way."

Jack grinned cheekily. "Ye're not THAT big."

I laughed. "Did you just call me fat? I meant the coat, sweater, and my dress."

Mark laughed along with Jack. "Smooth one doofus. Insult our pregnant girlfriend while you're laying in her lap."

I chuckled. I knew he was just teasing. I could handle it. I looked down into his eyes fondly. I loved the goofy Irishman after all. We pulled up to the restaurant and I set my purse and sweater down. I had decided not to put the sweater on since we were headed out to eat, but I had rested it on my lap to keep warmer on the drive. I pulled off the scarf, hat, and gloves and left them in the car as well. Jack helped me out and we all walked in the restaurant. Molly and Wade were already there, waiting to be seated. We walked over and joined them. Mark gathered all our coats to turn in at the coat room. As I took mine off, I saw Molly and Wade suddenly look at my baby bump. I had almost forgotten that the last time they saw me, it was barely visible. It was certainly visible now. 

Molly grinned at me. "Wow. That was fast. I mean I know told us you were pregnant before you left, but it wasn't so in our faces. What have you been eating for the last three weeks?"

I laughed. And shook my head. Wade just stared wide eyed. I grinned at him. "You okay there buddy? I know it's getting big, but remember, there are a whole team of them in there. I felt them move for the first time yesterday." I couldn't keep the smile off my face or out of my voice. Molly grinned at me as well.

Wade finally snapped out of it. "Sorry. I just wasn't expecting to see you look so pregnant yet. I mean, what you're like three months along?" I nodded. "Whoa."

Jack hugged me from behind, resting a hand on the babies again. That seemed to be his favorite place to rest his hands lately, not that I blamed him. It was pretty amazing. Mark came over and rested a hand there as well, on the other side. Before long a waiter came to seat us and the guys had to let me go. We were seated in a table in a back corner, a half booth, and I made sure to snag a chair so I could get in and out. I might have been able to squeeze into the booth, but I had some serious doubts whether or not I would have ever been able to escape. We looked over the menu and ordered drinks when the waiter came back to ask us. I got a blackberry tea. Wade and Jack ordered beers. Molly got a soda, and Mark got some lemonade. When the waiter came back with the drinks, we ordered a couple of appetizers to share. I still hadn't decided what I was in the mood for, and neither had Molly or Jack, so we kept looking while the appetizer orders were sent to the kitchen and the waiter promised to check back in a few minutes. When he came back we were ready. I got a stuffed pasta dish with steak and mushrooms that sounded really good to me. Jack got a chicken dish, Wade ordered ribs. Mark got a steak, and Molly ordered a salmon dish that I had been thinking about before I decided on the pasta dish.

We chatted while we waited for our food. Molly asked me several question about how I was doing, and I answered, tell her and Wade that I was finally over the morning sickness and constant exhaustion. Our appetizers arrived and we started eating. The food was good and we all had a great evening. I was starting to get tired by the time we finished eating however and I sat, just listening to everyone talking. When everyone had finished, the waiter came over to ask if anyone wanted dessert. We all looked at Jack first. He grinned, nodded, and we looked the menu over. I declined, but Mark, Jack, and Wade all ordered things. Molly stated she was going to steal some of Wade's. I turned to them. "So how is the organization for the charity event with St. Jude's coming? Is everything almost ready for us?" 

Mark turned to me. "What's this now? What charity event?" 

Jack nodded. "Why didn't anyone mention this before? Ye planned something without us?"

Wade looked at me. "Um, [Y/n], do you want to handle this?"

I grinned at him. "Wuss. Guys, I was talking to Wade to setup a charity event live stream for him while he was going to be in Ohio between filming season. He suggested St. Jude's. I called the coordinator and got things started. Then I decided I wanted to be in on the stream as well. Molly had already volunteered. I also thought when we went home after Christmas we could sort through some of the things I have gotten from fans for the babies and send St. Jude's a big donation of some of the things we don't need as many of as we have gotten. I didn't mention it to you, because we were still planning it. I was going to tell you after I checked in with him. Now, Wade, how is the planning coming? Have you confirmed the date, January Eighth?"

Mark and Jack looked vaguely unhappy, but didn't say anything. Wade cleared his throat nervously. "Um, yeah. The eighth works for them. I thought we could stream from our house here in Cincinnati. The coordinator suggested we stream starting at noon, until we hit whatever goal we want or however many hours we decide. I was thinking we set the initial goal at twenty five thousand dollars and have up to three stretch goals, if that works for you? And we can say the stream will be at least two hours, but no more than, um, I don't know, six?"

I thought about it. "Well, with at least three of us streaming I think we should start higher, like, say fifty thousand dollars. And a two hour minimum sounds fine. I would think we could go longer than six hours if we need to, just because there are three of us and we can stagger it, so we can take breaks. Did you ask Bob if he was going to join us? I know you said you were going to talk to him about it. " Wade shifted uncomfortable in his seat as Jack and Mark gave him death glares. "Stop that you dinguses. I am perfectly capable of deciding I can sit in a chair for an afternoon and play video games. God, it's not like you two don't do it all the time. And if you are trying to make Wade feel guilty for not telling you, cut it the fuck out. I'm the one who was supposed to tell you, and because you were being so damn overprotective, I felt like I couldn't. Now, if you don't want me to plan things without you related to MY career, we are going to have a problem. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

Jack and Mark looked down at the table, feelings of shame and anger still clear on their face. Wade cleared his throat. "Um, yeah, Bob's in, but he's going to join us remotely." I nodded. Then I heard him whisper to Molly "Wow. Don't mess with the pregnant lady there. She kick your butt." Molly tried and failed to hide a grin behind her hand.

I winked at her. "And don't you forget it. Although, it has nothing to do with being pregnant. I'm always like this." I looked at my guys. "Right boys?"

Jack looked up, still slightly shame faced. "Yeah. Sorry we got out of line. We just worry about ye."

I looked at him, and softened a little, but only a little. "I know. But you two have been smothering me. And now you've got Chica doing it. I'm not made of glass or spun sugar. I can handle things. Besides, I'm about to be the mother of four babies who are bound to be loud and energetic. I need to explore my limits a bit first."

Mark grimaced. He glanced at Jack. "We hadn't thought of that."

I shook my head at them. "Okay. Well you need to start. Now, since we have most of the details figured out, at least a bit more, would either of you like to help with the event?"

They both turned to me, wide eyed. "Ye'll still let us? Even after tha lecture?"

I sighed. "Yes. The charity needs all the help it can get. And I always intended to ask you, I just wanted some details in hand first. I swear I wasn't trying to cut you out of this, I was just waiting until I had something firm to ask about. Now, are you in or out?"

Wade grinned and ducked his head and Molly giggled silently, her shoulders shaking a little, as they watched Mark and Jack look sheepish and dumbfounded. I rolled my eyes. Finally Jack said "I'm in. I feel like an idiot."

Mark nodded. "Me too. About both things."

I snorted a laugh. "Good then we all agree, you're both idiots. Wade we have two more idiots to help during the stream. Has anyone asked Felix if he's interested? Or Marzia? We can definitely get the cross promos from the show to announce the live stream, especially if we say the stars of last season and the new stars will be appearing as well. We should also ask Ken and Mary."

Mark grinned at me as he paid the bill. "This is why she is the department manager on top of everything else."

I smirked. "Yep. And now I have an assistant, so I have even more time. I have gotten several extra animations done lately, as well as several vlogs and daily social media posting. You guys need to keep up."

Molly laughed. "I'm glad to see you're back to your old self." I grinned and nodded. We all got up to go get our coats and head out, so we said our goodbyes for the evening, promising to get together again before we left for Ireland on Thursday. Jack helped me into my coat, threw his coat on, and held the door for me. I ran for the car and climbed in the back, shivering slightly as I went. We drove home, with Jack snuggling me the whole way and I fell asleep on the way. I was still asleep when we got home, but I woke up as Mark carried me in. I sleepily insisted I could walk, but he just hugged me and told me to go back to sleep. He laid me on the bed. I started to snuggled into the bed, and decided I needed to change clothes. Jack helped me out of my boots and tights. Mark helped me take off my dress and underwear and they bundled me unto my nightgown. As soon as I laid down, I was asleep again. I felt Jack and Mark climb in beside me later, but didn't wake up until morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I updated on time today! Yea me! 
> 
> Also, my Jack X Reader is up now, for anyone interested. The first two chapters are out. (It's called Night Breezes Seem to Whisper 'I Love You')
> 
> I'm updating How We Met again too. (That's the Mark X Reader I'm writing). Look for a chapter either tonight or tomorrow, if you are reading that one as well.
> 
> Thanks for all the kind wishes and patience while I was not feeling well. Since I post these as soon as I write them, with minimal editing, when something knocks me off my feet, chapters are delayed. I'll try to write a little further ahead as soon as I can manage it, but I can't see it changing anytime too soon, since I have so many stories I'm working on right now. 
> 
> Thanks for reading and have a fab day! :)


	48. International Flying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to head out for Ireland.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delayed chapters lately. Hopefully I can get back on a better schedule soon. Between health issues and a power outage that took out the Internet all day yesterday, I wasn't able to get this finished to push out.
> 
> I am working on the next chapter now, but I have a doctor's appointment that will take over an hour to drive to, so it probably won't go up until tomorrow.
> 
> I do have to say though, when I put out 11,000+ word chapters on ANY story, I probably won't get chapters out on my other works.

The next three days flew by. We spent them visiting with Thomas and Julie, helping Momiplier around her house, playing with Chica, and getting together with a few of Mark's old friends. On Wednesday night, after we finished packing up again, we headed to Wade's and Molly's house for dinner. It was a lot of fun, but we made an early night of things because our flight out the next morning left early. We got back to Momiplier's house by nine and were all in bed by ten. 

When we got up on Thursday, I hopped in the shower and washed my hair, leaving it down and loose for the first time in a long time, and allowing it to air dry. We had all decided to get up at seven, our usual time while we were filming, to get to the airport by eight, for our nine fifteen flight. We had been told since it was an international flight we needed to be there an hour early, and we wanted to have a little extra cushion. Mark loaded the car while Jack and I fixed breakfast. We all finished at about the same time, sitting down to eat together with Momiplier for the last time this visit. Chica was at my feet again, and we said our goodbyes to her after we finished, Momiplier making us leave the dishes for when she got back after we left. The ride to the airport was quick and Jack sat in the front seat talking to Momiplier for the ride. I snuggled Mark, still somewhat sleepy. I had chosen a dark navy dress to travel in, because it was long and fairly warm. Jack had warned us the weather in Ireland was going to be warmer than Cincinnati at this time of year, but I still was cold much of the time. We hugged Momiplier, saying our goodbyes in the parking lot, so we didn't have to pay for parking and Jack and Mark unloaded our luggage. Momiplier hugged me and patted the babies, making me promise to call her while we were gone. I promised, hugging her back and we walked into the airport. Jack and Mark checked our luggage while I headed to the ticket counter to get our tickets. I got in line and by the time it was our turn, the boys were next to me. We gave the ticket counter attendant our names, and she recognized the three of us. We smiled at her as she tried to control herself, fangirling slightly. She took a picture with each of us, and we signed autographs for her. She grinned and handed us our tickets, winking as she informed us we had been upgraded to first class and thanking us for choosing to fly with the airline. We were grinning as we headed through security and into the first class lounge to wait to be boarded. Jack and Mark were chatting about a new horror game they both wanted to record and I listened, shuddering slightly as they described the intense atmosphere and a few of the jump scares they had seen in the demo. I was not a fan of horror games, and ever since my heart troubles, I had been avoiding them all together. I finally put on some headphones and started listening to some music on my phone, tuning their descriptions out. Mark touched my arm when it was time to board, the only physical contact we had had since we got out of Momiplier's car. I sighed internally, keeping Jack and Mark at arm's length was hard. I knew we would face some public backlash if the relationship went public, but I wanted to be able to declare my feelings openly and not worry that someone would spot us together and make a big deal out of it. All our fans knew at this point was we were all really close friends, traveled together, presumably so I could manage their videos and schedules, and that I was pregnant with quadruplets with an unknown partner or partners. We had talked many times about the possibility of telling the fans, and agreed we would eventually tell the viewers, but I was leaving the decision of when up to the guys. They had far more at stake in this, viewer and career-wise than I did. I could continue to work, doing any other aspect of my job, even if YouTube was no longer a viable option, not that I saw that happening. Sure, I had a few people who hated on me, but I was open and honest about my polyamorous past, trying to help the cause and remove some of the misconceptions about it.

We were seated on the plane in the first group boarded. The flight attendant eyed me a little nervously when she saw my clearly pregnant state, but I reassured her I was no where near due, just pregnant with multiples. The doctors had all told me flying was fine until I was further along. They wanted me to stop flying by the time I was six months into the pregnancy, due to the strain I would be under, and told me I would probably be on bed rest by then, or soon after. I was determined to avoid that as long as possible, as long as I was healthy and the babies were healthy. We had three seats next to each other in first class and were practically the only passengers in the whole section. There were two men in business suits and another woman, but that was all. We settled in, getting comfortable, and waited for the flight to began. It was a short hop to DC, where we had a connecting flight, with a very short layover, only half an hour. We had booked this particular flight and time because we had been told we wouldn't even need to change planes, just wait while the passengers changed. I asked the attendant for an extra pillow, using it to support my butt and back, and propped my feet up, to help prevent the back pain the flight from LA to DC had caused me. I was a lot bigger now than I had been even those few weeks ago, and I was having low level back pain most of the time already anyway. I got comfortable in my seat. Jack and Mark had taken the two edge seats, making me sit between them, not that I really minded. The seats in first class were roomy with plenty of leg room, and there was a separate attendant for first class, so we had plenty of personal attention. I grabbed my ebook reader, noticing the charging station attached to the seat, plugged in my phone and reader, and started reading my book while we waited. There was wifi on the flight, but I was more interested in reading right now than surfing the web. I had just gotten to a particularly good section of the novel, a Terry Pratchett discworld book, which I had read before, but it was one of my favorites, when the pilot announced we were ready. I put my eReader in airplane mode, as instructed and turned my cellphone off, tucking it in the seat pocket. 

The flight to DC only took an hour. The other first class passengers got off and I stood up and walked back to the bathroom while we waited. When I came back, I settled back in the seat and yawned. The flight attendant came back and told us we would be ready to leave in just a few minutes. I smiled and looked around. Six other people had boarded the flight, but first class was mostly still empty. There was a group, clearly a family, of four, with a teenager and child who like to be about nine. Both the teen and the nine year old were looking at us out of the corner of their eyes. As soon as we took off, the nine year old turned her head and openly studied us. I was biting back a grin. Mark and Jack hadn't noticed yet. They were on their phones, playing games. I was expecting as soon as the seatbelt light turned off, we were going to have a few fans coming over to say hello. The teenager, clearly a brother of the interested nine year old, was trying to play it cool, I could see, but he was nearly bouncing in his seat too. I waved at them, making the teen blush and the nine year old wave back very enthusiastically, accidentally whacking her mother on the shoulder in her excitement. As soon as the seatbelt light turned off, we did indeed have two very excited fans. The nine year old's name was Shelby, she told me, and I was her hero. She talked to me for quite a while and I found out she too had a heart defect, similar to the one I had but more severe. She told me, when she saw my videos about dealing with it and then saw me playing games along with Markiplier and JackSepticEye, two of her favorite YouTubers, she had hope that maybe someday she could do something amazing. She told me she was excited to see my babies, and informed me I should definitely show them on camera after they were born. I smiled at her and let her pat my baby bump, signed an autograph for her, and took a picture with her. By then, her brother had come over to meet us as well. I introduced Shelby to Jack, who had been listening to the end of the conversation, and turned to the teenager.

"Hi! Do you need something, or did you want to meet me as well? I'm [y/y/n]."

He smiled at me, shyly. "Yeah, I know. I'm a big fan. My name is Gabe." He looked at the floor for a second. "I have to thank you. You have really made a big difference in my family. Telling the Internet about your heart condition, and not dwelling on it, but dealing with it and staying positive has really made a huge difference to Shelby. She idolizes you." He looked back up, his eyes serious. "I do too. You helped me too. I'm in love with two other people, and they feel the same way, but we didn't know how to handle it. You're videos about polyamory have helped us figure it out. Actually, there are several poly relationships at my school now, which is a first." He smiled a little. "The principal of the school even held an assembly at the beginning of the school year on bullying, gay relationships, and polyamory, using your vlogs as part of it to explain how it worked. Apparently her daughter is polyamorous as well, and she wanted to make sure everyone knew there would be a zero tolerance policy on any type of bullying. We have over two thousand student in the high school, so we, the poly groups, are definitely the minority, but we aren't being treated that badly either. Thank you."

I smiled at him, delighted to hear it. "That's fantastic! I love hearing that people are learning to accept other people who are different, no matter why. What school do you go to? I'd love to mention I met you and heard about the assembly."

He looked startled. "Um, okay. I go to Landstown High School, in Virginia Beach." 

"Thank you Gabe. Now, would you like to get a picture, an autograph, or anything like that?"

He grinned. "Yes, please. Oh my god! Yes. Can I get a picture with all three of you too? I'm a really big fan of all of you."

"Well, let's ask Mark and Jack. I can't speak for them. I certainly don't mind." I turned to Mark, who had been listening and he grinned.

"Sure. Anything for a fan." 

Jack answered before I even looked at him. "Absolutely. We should call tha flight attendant over ta take tha photo." He waved to her and she came over, snapping several pictures with Gabe's camera phone before handing it back to him with a smile. I shifted in my seat, trying to relieve the pressure on my back.

Gabe noticed and smiled shyly. "Can I feel your baby bump? I kind of wanted to ask before, but I didn't want to be rude or anything. I saw Shelby got to." He shut up and blushed.

I smiled and grabbed his hand, placing it on my belly. "They're still too little for you to feel them moving around, but they are awake and fluttering, I can feel them. I'm excited to met them in a few months."

Gabe smiled, his eyes huge. "That's so amazing! Thank you. My friends are all going to be so jealous. Oh and wait until I tell my boyfriend and girlfriend! Can you sign an autograph for them too? One to Henry, that's my boyfriend, and one to Angelica? They would kill me if I forgot to mention them." 

I grinned and signed three autographs for him, addressing one to each of them, telling them to stay amazing and wishing them well for the future. I also told them I was proud that they were brave enough to admit being different and having a relationship, especially while in high school. Gabe nearly fainted when he read what I wrote to him and he bounced back to his seat, forgetting to talk to Mark or Jack. A minute later he came back, blushing and approached Mark. I heard Jack chuckle, but ignored him, making sure not to let my own amusement show and embarrass Gabe. He was at an awkward age and something like that could be very damaging. I went back to my book and resumed reading. When I had to shift positions again, I set my book aside, getting up to stretch again. We had been flying for about an hour since leaving DC, and I wanted to move around. I walked back to the bathroom once more and used it, cursing the fact that the babies seemed to be putting so much pressure on my bladder already. I sighed and washed my face while I was in the bathroom, trying to wake up a bit more. I was feeling tired, even though I hadn't done much all day today. It was no where nearly as bad as my fatigue had been until recently, but I was sleepy none the less, and had been all day. I knew part of it was nerves about meeting Jack's family, the mild anxiety having given me a somewhat restless night, but I didn't want to sleep the day away, knowing when we landed it would be around ten o'clock at night. I wanted to get adjusted as quickly as possible to the time difference and sleeping during the day was not going to help. 

As I soon as I got back, the flight attendant came over and asked us what we would like for lunch. We had a choice of chicken salad, baked fish, or a pasta dish. All three of us ordered the pasta. In just a few minutes, our meals came out and we ate. I was particularly hungry, finishing first. The attendant asked if I needed anything else as she cleared my tray and I asked for a drink. She offered water, tea, coffee, and a variety of sodas. I smiled and selected the raspberry iced tea. Jack and Mark, who had been listening, also asked for drinks, choosing coffee and a soda. I was tired of reading, so I turned to Jack to see what he was up to this afternoon. I chuckled when I saw he was playing a Pokemon game. I turned to Mark, seeing he was checking social media. Mark looked up. He saw me looking and said very softly, so I could hear, but no one else would, "Hey babe, what's up? You doing okay? I know this is a long flight. At least the seats are comfortable and we have room to breathe. I'm going to switch our tickets on the way back to first class too, I think."

I smiled at him, replying in a low voice as well. "Yeah, I'm doing fine. I'm kind of tired today, but nothing too bad. I don't really want to get my sleep schedule all out of whack, especially with the time zone differences, but I may take a nap in a little while. Just don't let me sleep too long, okay? I had some trouble sleeping last night. I think I was too excited." I didn't add and nervous. I could see Mark was feeling the same way. It's one thing to talk to someone over the internet and a whole different kettle of fish to see them face to face. Plus, my pregnancy was so visible at this point, I was nervous about that as well. What if Jack's family thought I was trying to trick Jack in some way, or had planned this? I knew the fears were probably unfounded, but irrational fears had haunted me before meeting Mark's family as well. "I'm glad we got bumped up to first class as well, although it looks like the flight is relatively small anyway, so I doubt it was a problem."

Mark grabbed my hand and gave it a small squeeze, all the PDA he dared. I wished we were alone together, with Jack of course, so we could just cuddle. I was so used to daily cuddles and snuggling both of them I missed the close contact. Just then the babies all kicked up the activity level and I had to smile fondly, putting my free hand on my belly. It felt like they were having a party in there. I giggled slightly at the thought. Mark, who had been watching my face, grinned at me. "So, are your babies doing somersaults or what? I know that look means they are moving around. You get it whenever they kick or move lately."

"Well, I think they're having a party. That or they have taken up kickboxing each other. This is the first time I can actually feel all of them moving separately from the others. It's pretty amazing, but kind of strange at the same time. I wish you could feel." I had been speaking normally until the last sentence, which I whispered, but I saw Mark nod, knowing he heard me. He squeezed my hand one more time before he let it go.

"Sounds strange. I can't even begin to imagine what it would feel like." He winked at me. "I wish the father could be here and feel it with you. Fathers. Whatever."

I hid a smile behind a stern expression. "Now don't you start on me, Mr. Iplier. You know I'm not revealing that secret until the time is right. No matter who asks." I looked at him. "It's a discussion between me and whoever is concerned, but one that needs to happen soon. We have talked some already, but I think we need to revisit it." 

Mark swallowed, nodding. "Good luck with the discussion. I think everyone involved will need it." I saw him pick up his phone again and I sighed. Was he ducking the discussion? Suddenly my phone dinged at me from the pocket of the seat. I fished it out and turned on the screen, having turned it on during lunch and signing into the wifi then. It was a message from Mark. *Babe, what's going on? Why do we need to talk about the baby stuff?*

I thought for a minute before I responded. *Something those two fans said earlier got me thinking. We need to sit down and talk, all three of us. Waiting to reveal your involvement isn't helping anyone, and it might be hurting a few people. Both Shelby, the little girl, and her brother Gabe have a more personal connection than I ever dreamed to me and my channel. They both told me how much I had helped them, and I want to help as many people as I can. Right now, I feel like I'm lying to the fans by not telling them I'm dating the two of you. Also, I want to be able to hug, kiss, and cuddle with the two of you whenever I want, public or not. This sucks, not being able to grab your hand and put it on my baby bump, or snuggle in next to you. I could probably lean on you if I fell asleep, but even that might look suspicious.* I sent my message and looked at Mark, watching him read the screen.

His eyes got big as he read before nodding at the end. Texted back right away. *I know. I had no idea it would be so hard not touching you in some way in public. We will definitely talk about this really soon. Maybe even tonight, after we get to Jack's family's house. Or the car ride there. For now, can you just relax and take a nap? You really do look worn out.* 

I rolled my eyes when I got to the end of the message, but nodded absently, turning my phone screen off and settling back in my seat. I put my feet up on my bag, tucked under the seat ahead of me, and tried to get comfy. I closed my eyes, soon drifting off to sleep. I awoke to find myself leaned over against Mark, sleeping on his shoulder, an hour and a half later. I yawned and stretched, standing up as I did so. I worked the kinks out of my neck and back before settling back in my seat and checking the time. We had been flying for five hours since we left DC, which meant we had about two more hours to go. I was starting to get hungry again and about to look for the flight attendant when she rolled the dinner cart over to us and offered us our options. I selected a fish stew that looked and smelled amazing, along with a side salad and buttered rolls. Jack got a chicken dinner. Mark chose the vegetarian option, not looking like either the chicken or the fish was what he wanted. I had just enough time to dash back to the bathroom once more before our dinners arrived. The food was outstanding. Mark very much enjoyed his veggie burger and fries, making sure to mention how delicious it was several times. The fish stew was more of a gumbo than anything else, and served over rice. I was elated. I loved Creole spices and this was super tasty. I ate everything with gusto and we settled in for the rest of the flight, Mark and Jack with their phones, and me with my eReader. I finished my book just as we taxied into Dublin. 

I didn't take long before we were off the plane, waiting for our luggage in the airport. Jack immediately called his brother, Simon, who was picking us up, and arranged to meet him near the baggage claim. The guys insisted I sit while we waited and went over to the baggage carousel, grabbing each of our things as they came out. I was grateful not to have to stand waiting, but I was also a little annoyed at the babying, until I grabbed my bag and opened my purse to check my hair. I looked very pale and had large bags under my eyes. I winced and put the mirror away. Okay, clearly the zombie girlfriend wasn't the look I wanted, or what Jack and Mark wanted to see. Jack had just come over to sit next to me, and heard me chuckle to myself as I put my purse back down on the floor. "What's amusing ye so, lass? Not that I don't like hearing ye laugh, no matter why, but I just wondered what struck yer fancy."

"I just caught a glimpse of my appearance in a mirror. I was thinking I looked like the world's most pregnant zombie. Not my best look."

Jack grinned. Then he leaned in and whispered to me "Ye're still tha sexiest woman I know, zombie or not. Ye could eat my brains any day." Then he leaned back winking at me.

A dirty thought crossed my mind as I looked at him. I whispered back "Brains? Is that all you want me to 'eat', love?" He blushed and coughed, trying not to choke on his own spit. 

Mark walked up and saw Jack choke after I whispered something. He leaned in and asked if this was a private conversation, or if he could join in as well. Jack was still blushing so hard it looked like his face was on fire and he couldn't meet my gaze. I looked at Mark, mischief on my face. "Sure. We were just talking about what zombies eat. Thoughts? Aside from brains, I mean."

Mark looked suspicious. He looked at Jack. "Was that really what she was talking to you about, Jack? Are you even okay?"

Suddenly Jack's brother appeared behind him. Simon took one look at Jack and started laughing. "Ooh, someone's girlfriend is a sassy one. Unless, it was yer boyfriend who embarrassed ye that much?"

Jack gave me a somewhat sour look, making me giggle. Mark raised his eyebrows. I stood up. "Hi Simon. Thanks for coming to get us. I'm the sassy one, and don't you forget it!" I winked at all of them.

He grinned at me. "Welcome to Ireland, [y/n]. Sweet Jaysus, ye really are pregnant aren't ye? I didn't expect ye ta be that big yet. I guess that's what happens when ye get knocked up with so many babbies." He was looking at my belly, looking slightly shocked. I grinned at him, nodding. "Well, come give us a hug then." He pulled me in for a quick friendly hug and grabbed my luggage, gesturing to Mark and Jack to carry the rest. "Mark, it's nice ta meet ye too, but I doubt ye want a hug right now. Shall we go? It's a fair drive ta get ta Ma's house and ye all look like ye need sleep."

Mark nodded. "Yeah, it was a long flight. Thanks again for picking us up. And it's nice to meet you in person as well." We all followed Simon out to a large car parked in the lot in an interesting shade of blue-violet.

Simon saw my look and grimaced. "Sorry about tha ride. My car's in tha shop and our lovely sister loaned me her 'Mom-mobile' ta come get ye. She lives fairly close ta Ma and Pa, so I can drop it off in tha morning or tonight if Pa wants ta follow me out ta her place. I doubt he will want ta let ye out of his sight though. He's been talking about ye for the past week non-stop, especially with Ma. Ye've made Jack the golden boy in their eyes, let me tell ye."

Jack grinned, his color finally back to normal. "They haven't said anything ta us, Simon."

Simon rolled his eyes. "Of course not. Ye aren't here and Ma's afraid ye'll decide not ta visit or not share news about tha babbies." The guys all loaded the car as I crawled into the back seat, sitting in the middle. Jack and Mark both walked around to get in the back, but I suggested that maybe Jack should ride up front with his brother, just to keep him company. Jack looked like a storm was brewing until his brother cracked up and informed us "Tha' won't be needed. I know how ta get there from here and Jack clearly wants ta cuddle with ye. Unless tha back seat is too cramped?" 

I shook my head. That settled it and both Jack and Mark climbed in on either side of me. I snuggled into their warm bodies as we started driving and was sound asleep before we even left the airport lot. I didn't wake up until the car stopped at our destination. Simon, Jack, and Mark grinned at me. I blushed slightly. "Sorry. I hope I didn't snore too much. I was just really tired. Are we there?"

Jack was the first to answer. "Yep. Welcome ta Ma's house. And we didn't mind ye sleeping. Ye looked sweet and definitely needed it. Besides ye snuggle more when ye're asleep, so ye know Mark and I are never going ta complain about that. And ye didn't snore at all. Come on, love, let's go say hi ta Ma, before ye fall asleep again. Ye need tha sleep, ta grow tha babies."

I made a face. "Jack, we've talked about this. I'm not that fragile! I can do somethings for myself. Now if you two can get the luggage, that would be great." They slid out of the car and I slid over to the door with a groan. I tried to get out, but couldn't quite manage. Finally I asked Jack for a hand, my voice sounding strangled. "Jack, can you please help me out of the car? I'm stuck." I bit my lip. This car was low to the ground and the seats were pushed back, but admitting I couldn't get out on my own was awful for me. 

Jack grinned and helped haul me out. I wobbled a little as I regained my balance, but didn't fall back into the seat again. He held me steady until I was sure I wasn't going to fall and then went back to grab our bags. I grabbed my purse and walked in the house, feeling more like I was waddling than walking. When I got to the door, I knocked, trying not to just barge in, but as soon as my knuckle hit the wood, the door swung open, nearly making me overbalance and fall. "Whoopsy daisy there lass. Welcome ta our home. Come on in all of ye. Don't be standing around freezing yerselves ta death, especially ye, [y/n]. Ye have four other lives ta consider. I'm Jack's Pa, as ye may remember. Ma's in tha other room, waiting for ye all ta get here. Go say hi before she bursts from excitement." 

I smiled at him, accepting the hug he offered and waddled into the living room, as he indicated. Jack's Ma was sitting on the couch, knitting a blanket. She set the knitting aside the second she saw me in the doorway. "[Y/n], ye're here! Ooh, and just look at ye, glowing. My goodness, ye really are a lovely lass. Come in and sit down. I want a hug but first I want ye take take a load off my grandbabbies." 

I smiled and sat where she indicated. That's when I noticed her right leg was in a cast. Jack, Mark, and Simon carried the luggage in and put it in the room we would be staying in. Simon was staying in the cabin Jack used to live in, but we would have a large bedroom in the main house. As soon as they were done, Mark and Jack came in and sat next to me, making me scoot over so they could sit on either side of me to cuddle with me. When they were settled I looked over at Jack's mother again. She had resumed her knitting again and was smiling over at the three of us, waiting until everyone was settled to pick up the conversation once more. I couldn't see her leg anymore, and the glimpse I had gotten was too short for me to be sure I had really seen a cast on her leg. I leaned into Jack's shoulder, feeling troubled. 

Jack wrapped an arm around me, leaning his head on top of mine. Then I felt him leave a kiss on the top of my head in my hair. "That's better. I've been waiting all day for the chance ta snuggle with ye properly. Mark too for that matter. It was killing me not ta be able to rest a hand on yer baby bump during tha flight over here. Especially when ye let those two fans feel tha babies and we had ta just sit there and watch." He shook his head looking sad before leaning over and whispering "I love ye. Not being able ta tell tha world is driving me crazy." Then he kissed me softly, resting both hands on my baby bump, almost possessively.

Mark leaned in onto me and put his head just below Jack's hands, on my tummy and started whispering to the babies. It was sweet, comfortable and comforting all at once. Jack's mother clearly approved. In fact, the very next thing we heard was "Good ta see ye boys have yer heads on straight. Jack it's wonderful ta see ye. Don't get up, ye look comfortable and I don't want [y/n] ta move. Pa come help me up, please." She stood up and the cast came back into view.

Jack exclaimed worriedly, "Ma! What happened? Are ye okay?" As he said this he stated to move behind me, shifting without realizing it.

She waved a hand at him. "I'm fine, stay put, just a wee bit of a tumble. Busted my leg about a week ago. Didn't want ta worry ye or yer lass, so I didn't call ta tell ye about it. Now," She stepped over and gave Jack a kiss on the cheek "how long are ye staying again? I know it's through Christmas, but I never got a firm answer of when after that ye had ta leave. I want ta get ta know all of ye as much as possible and make tha most of yer visit. Lord knows when we'll see ye again." 

I peeked at Jack, who still looked worried. "Actually, um, Mrs. McLoughlin, we'll have to leave the day after Christmas. I have a doctor's appointment fairly immediately so we can't really stay after. But, we do want you and your husband to come over when the babies get here to stay for a little while, our treat. We're flying as much of the family out to stay as we can. We should have three empty apartments by then and a house, or so we hope, so there will be plenty of room."

Jack's Ma looked a me happily. "Of course we'll come! And please, call me Ma. Ye too Mark. Jack's Pa and I discussed this. Ye call him Pa, too." We nodded. "Good. Now that that's settled, and ye know where ye are sleeping, we can relax. Although, I am going ta send all of ye ta bed soon. Ye need yer sleep, especially, ye lass. It's a long trip."

I smiled at her. "Thanks. I'm not going to argue with that. I'm pretty tired, even though I slept some on the plane. And the whole drive here. At least the worst of the fatigue is over now." I looked down at my baby bump, even with the guys blocking the view somewhat, it was still very visible, and I patted a free spot. "These little ones have gotten active the last few days, but at least I know they are all okay." 

Ma grinned at me. "Oh ho. So ye can feel them already?"

I nodded. "I'm just past the fifteenth week of my pregnancy. I felt them start moving last week. It's amazing. I swear I felt all of them moving in different directions today on the flight. It felt like they were having a party." I yawned, the day really starting to catch up with me. I reached for my purse. "Before I fall asleep here, let me show you the pictures from the ultrasound I had last time I visited the doctor. You can see the actual babies in the image!" I smiled ruefully. "I'm hoping we can see the gender of the babies by the time we go for the next appointment. I can't wait to find out." I handed the sonogram images over and both Jack's parents cooed at them. "Those copies are for you. I had extras made for all the grandparents to be. I'll send copies of all the pictures we get, too. I want to share this with everybody!" I yawned again, even wider making my jaw crack.

Ma grinned at me. "Alright, enough chatting for tonight. Ye're all dead on yer feet. Away ta bed, tha lot of ye. We'll see ye in tha mornin'. Now scoot. No arguing boys."

Mark sat up and he and Jack helped me out of the couch, leading me down the hall to our shared room. I just managed to get changed into some comfortable pajamas before I was too sleepy to do anything but collapse in the bed. I felt Jack and Mark cuddle in close as soon as I had stopped moving around and fell asleep with a smile on my face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may or may not have been obsessively playing a certain song on repeat while I was writing most of this... XD


	49. Ma McLoughlin's House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let the visiting in Ireland commence!

The next day was all about getting to know Ma and Pa McLoughlin, as I was calling them. I was having trouble just calling them Ma and Pa because it seemed too informal, almost disrespectful. Simon teased me, claiming I didn't seem like that formal a person to him, but I ignored him. Having two brothers of my own, I was used to this type of behavior. Eventually, I felt comfortable enough to call them Ma and Pa, at least some of the time. Whenever that happened I got a huge smile from them and a grin from Jack. Mark seemed to have no problem with calling them whatever they wanted him to call them. Mark had also had no problem calling my mother by her first name and occasionally called her Mom as well. He just seemed more at ease with that whole situation than I was. Ma was a super nice woman, who loved baking, but not particularly cooking. She told me she was feeling a little useless with the broken leg, which she had broken slipping on a plastic bag in the parking lot of the local grocery. I smiled as she told her story, but looked sympathetic as well. "Well, now Jack at least will have someone to fuss over other than me. Not that I don't love the guys, but they are making me a little crazy, with the overprotective male act and trying to keep me from doing anything at all. They are doing a little better than they were at first, but it's enough to make me want to take up skydiving or an actually dangerous hobby just so they can have a reason to worry." Ma grinned at me.

"Ah, but they just want ta show how much they love ye, lass. And they are excited about tha bonny wee babbies."

I grinned back. "I am too, but I still have a long way to go before they get here and in the mean time I can do some things for myself. Like cooking a meal, or packing my clothes. I don't mind them helping some, but really, I _need_ to do some things myself." My smiled changed slightly as I felt the babies moving and once more my hand went to my stomach. "I know you all love your daddies too, calm down." Ma's smile grew more fond as she watched me talking to the babies. "Now, can you be good little babies and go back to sleep? Or are you having another party in there? One of these days I'm going to have to call an end to those you know. You're going to run out of space." I looked up, just in time to see Mark and Jack walk in. I blushed slightly, embarrassed at being caught talking to my tummy.

Jack came over, sitting down next to me, and leaned over putting his head right next to the babies and started whispering to them. I smiled at him and played with his hair absentmindedly as I looked back up at Ma. She was beaming with happiness. "It's so good ta see Jack so happy. I can barely believe it. Ye and Mark are really good for him. And all of ye clearly all love each other and take care of one another. That's so important for any relationship." She sniffed for a second and wiped an eye. "Sorry, I'm jus' so happy ta see this."

I chuckled, which made Jack grin up at me. He winked and went back to the babies, whispering softly to them, words I couldn't quite hear. Mark came over and put an arm around me, sitting on my other side. I leaned over and kissed him gently, making him smile, before resting my head on his shoulder. He sighed contentedly, settling back into a more comfortable position. He joined the conversation I was having with Ma McLoughlin.

We chatted all morning, discussing all sort of things, including my pregnancy, what I could expect for the rest of it, and what to expect just after the babies arrived. We also discussed looking for a house, Chica, and our jobs. Jack joined in occasionally, but kept coming back to talk to the babies, which Mark also did periodically. At one point I had both men leaning over my lap, talking to my belly in very soft whispers. I felt a little silly when that happened, but still loved the fact that both men were so into having the babies get to know them. Jack and Mark had recently worked out who would be called what, with Mark choosing Papa and Jack taking Daddy. They were just telling the babies that both Daddy and Papa were there when Jack's father walked in.

I grinned at him. "Hi, Pa." A thought occurred to me. "What would you like our children to call you? You're the only grandfather in the picture, so you get to call yourself whatever you want."

He smiled broadly. "Thanks for asking, lass. My other grandbabbies call me Grampa, so that's just fine." He looked thoughtful for a second. "Just how many grandparents ARE there in tha picture?"

I smiled. "Well, my mother, Mark's mother and step-mom, and the two of you. Mark's father past away a long time ago. My father..." I trailed off, not wanting to go into that whole mess. "Suffice it to say, he's not involved in my life in any way. Nor has he been for over ten years. I don't honestly know if he's even still alive." 

Ma looked a me, a little sadly. "That's too bad."

I shook my head firmly. "It was not a good situation. Please, let's talk about something happier. Like having you visit us in LA. Have you given it any thought? We would love to have you for as long as you can stay." I smiled again. "Right now, Mark and Jack are pretty much living out of my apartment, so they both have empty apartments, and I have a guest room. We are looking for a house, or will be when we get home, so maybe by the time these little beans are ready to make an appearance, we'll actually have a house." I patted my baby bump as I mentioned the babies, finding an empty spot behind Mark's head. 

Pa looked at Ma, grinning. "We'd love ta visit ye. We don't get out as much as some people, but I think we can manage this trip."

Jack looked up and grinned. "Good. I didn't want ta have ta threaten not showing ye tha next pictures from tha doctor in a few weeks, over Skype!"

I giggled. "Jack, I was planning on sending them a copy no matter what, so it wouldn't mean they didn't see them, just that it would be longer until they saw them. Plus, they know I post everything on my channel or my Twitter. I'm sure they could still find the pictures, if they wanted to look before we got them over here."

Jack looked at me. "Spoil sport."

I kissed him. "Yep. Now, love, can you go make some lunch for me? I'm getting hungry. Maybe make some for your parents as well. Mark could probably help, if you ask him nicely."

Mark looked up when I mentioned his name. He grinned at Jack. Jack sighed and stood up, raising an eyebrow at Mark, who followed him out of the room. Ma and Pa watched, amused, not having heard exactly what I said to Jack, since I had spoken quietly. Ma spoke up first. "Ye got them well in hand, don't ye? Good for ye. They clearly love ye and each other, a very great deal. Ye seem like a sensible lass as well, not letting things get out of hand, but ye know yer mind."

I grinned over at her. "Yes, I do. I also can usually figure the two of them out as well, although, if I can't I ask them what they are thinking. If prevents problems, and they always have the option of just telling me nothing or asking me to butt out."

Pa smiled widely. "Sure they do. Has tha' ever even happened once?" I shook my head ruefully. "Of course not. Those two wear their hearts on their sleeves, at least most of tha time."

I smiled, thinking about it. "Yeah. Usually they do. Though occasionally Mark will get a little broody and introspective. We can usually pull him back out of it fairly well though. Same with Jack, when he starts letting things get to him a little too much. Or when one of us starts working too hard without taking care of ourselves. Our friends watch out for us too, which is really nice." I patted my stomach and thought about all our friends, still in California for the most part, wondering what Dan, Arin, and Suzy were up to in particular. They were going to be in for quite a surprise when they saw me in a few weeks. I was getting absolutely huge! I now looked like I was due any time. My belly had suddenly just popped out again the other day, growing noticeably overnight. At fifteen weeks, I looked like most women at eight months or more. I sighed again, feeling huge and ungainly, but loving my babies too much to care that I was a giant blimp. I maneuvered myself out of the couch to go to the bathroom again. I was definitely having trouble getting in and out of furniture now, much to my dismay. Jack and Mark had to help me up with alarming regularity. I was almost afraid to sit anywhere with out a table or arms to push off with when they weren't around. 

As soon as I stood up, I headed for the bathroom, my most frequent visiting spot of late. After I did what I needed to do, I washed my hands and once more felt the babies moving. But this felt different, it was a distinct kick. I lifted my shirt up and saw an actual little movement on the surface of my belly for the first time. I grinned hugely and lowered my shirt, wandering into the kitchen. Jack and Mark were working together to cook the meal, so I stayed out of the way for a few moments until Mark looked up and saw me watching. He came over with a smile. "Missed us so much you couldn't even wait with Jack's parents, huh? What are we going to do with you?" He leaned in and kissed me.

I returned the kiss and moved his hands from my waist to my belly, just as one of the babies did a particularly acrobatic move and kicked like a soccer star. Mark's lips pulled away from mine and his eyes got absolutely enormous. I smiled at him. "Did you feel it?"

He looked down at his hand and my belly, to awestruck to speak. After a minute he nodded. My smile got even bigger. Suddenly, he moved his hand and brought me into a bear hug. He whispered to me as he did so. "Oh. My. GOD! That is the most amazing thing I have ever felt. Thank you so much for sharing!" Tears started pouring down his face. I wiped them away with my thumb, cupping his chin. 

I breathed a response out. "I couldn't wait to share. When I went to the bathroom, I could actually see the kick on my tummy in the mirror, so I hoped you would be able to feel it as well." I leaned forward enough to kiss his forehead, not realizing I too had tears on my face. "We have to tell Jack too." I pushed off the wall, where I had been leaning, and Mark straightened as well, grabbing my hand. I looked over at Jack, who was watching us fondly, clearly thinking we were just having a snuggly moment. "Jack, come here a minute, babe." I waved him over. He grinned, setting the knife he was holding down. As he got closer he noticed the tears on our faces for the first times. That brought him the rest of the way at a run. 

"Love, why are ye two crying? What's wrong? Is it tha babbies? Do we need ta go ta tha hospital?"

I leaned forward, placing one finger gently on his lips. "Calm down. It's not bad Jack. We're just excited. Now give me your hand." He looked adorably confused as he gave me one of his hands. I put it on the spot our little soccer player had been kicking, rubbing my own hand gently next to his. The baby responded with an emphatic double kick. Jack moved his other hand next to the first, staring in wonder. 

"Was that what I think it was?"

I nodded. "One of our babies is kicking like crazy. We can finally all share in feeling them. They feel like a soccer player from my side though. Momiplier was right, I may end up with bruises and even bruised or cracked ribs. I just had to share with you right away." I leaned in and kissed Jack, who was still staring at the spot where he had felt the babies and his hands were. A few seconds later, there was another kick, followed by a rolling sensation on my other side and a kick there as well. I grabbed Mark's hand and put it where the other baby was moving. Soon we were all standing stock still, slightly leaned against the wall, feeling the babies kicking and crying. Pa walked in a few minutes later to check on things. This was apparently not what he expected to see. I looked up at him, blinked the tears away. "Sorry. Mark, Jack, you guys should get back to cooking. I'm getting rather hungry, which might be why the babies are kicking so much." I leaned on and gave them both hugs before letting them go. I looked back over at Jack's dad. "Sorry for the tears. I felt the babies move the first time about a week ago, but they were kicking hard enough today Jack and Mark could actually feel it. It was the first time I felt a distinct kick, and I had to share it. Hormones and emotions got the better of me." 

Pa smiled. "Come on back in with Ma and I, lass. Ye don't need ta explain. I just wanted ta see if tha boys needed any help with lunch." He looked over at them, but they both shook their heads at him. He grinned an led me back into the living room. Ma looked surprised to see me following her husband, so I explained. She grinned. 

"Aye, I understand. Jack was a lively little sprite from the minute he started letting us know he was there. His siblings were the same, mostly. I understand wanting ta share the first kicks though. That's special, especially with tha first babby. Or in yer case, babbies."

I nodded at her, smiling. "I just couldn't wait."

Mark poked his head through the door a few minutes later, telling us lunch was ready. He brought mine out on a tray, with his on there as well. Jack brought out his own and his Ma's food right behind Mark. They settled in on the couch, pulling me in close for a snuggle. I was happy to oblige, and we stayed curled up together, checking social media after we finished our food. Simon came and collected the dirty dishes. Pa helped Ma up, since she informed us she was going to go have a nap. Pa walked with her down the hall, helping her as she went, when she needed. He stayed with her and shut the bedroom door once she had gotten back to bed. I leaned closer to Jack, and started fiddling with the cuff of his sleeve, which was frayed and draped across my stomach, since he had his and on my belly again. He briefly looked up and smiled at me, but was quickly lost answering questions and comments again. 

We just past the entire afternoon, peacefully wrapped up together, not moving out of the comfortable spot we had made until we had to. I napped very briefly at one point in the afternoon, bit mostly we just snuggled and enjoyed some quiet time together. 

When dinner time rolled around, Jack got up and called in a take out order, which Simon volunteered to go get. Jack came back in and snuggled me some more, drawing me into his lap with a smile. I leaned into him and just relaxed with him. We had made plans to visit his apartment here in Athlone, which he was keeping until he decided if he was moving to the US permanently, which he informed us was seeming more and more likely. We also had made plans to visit Jack's friends and his sisters and brother Malcolm were all coming from Christmas, and a few days before as well. I looked forward to meeting them, especially Malcolm, who we chatted with on Skype more regularly than his other siblings. I had a plan for us to visit Felix while we were here as well, but I still needed to find the time to call him in private and make arrangements.

When Simon got back, we all headed into the kitchen to eat, except Jack, who went to get his parents. They followed him back to the kitchen and Jack claimed the seat next to me, with Mark on my other side. Dinner went by quickly and I hopped up to put the food away, but everyone else protested, claiming I should go sit down and save my energy for the babies. I rolled my eyes, but let Mark and Jack drag me off. As soon as I sat down, I grabbed my laptop and started checking social media. I was slightly surprised to see my latest baby update video was drawing a lot of attention, and I clicked on it to view the comments. I froze in my seat. People were asking why I was filming from Mark's mother's house. They had recognized it from his old videos and the pictures he took when he visited. Mark and Jack had seen me tense up and waited for me to say something. I turned to Mark first. "Um, is your social media blowing up with people asking you questions about me today?"

Mark checked. He raised his eyebrows. "Kind of. Yeah. How did you guess?"

I turned my screen so he could see. Pointing to some of the comments. While he read I turned to Jack. "Sweetie, we're going to have the same thing come up as soon as my first vlog from here comes out. I watched it back a little while ago and the cabin you used to record in is visible in the window behind me for the whole thing. I don't have a way to crop it out. I think people will recognize it too." I took a deep breath. "Guys, I think it's time to tell the fans..."

Jack smiled. "That's fine with me. It means I can publicly cuddle you."

I smiled at him before turning to Mark, who looked troubled. "Sweetheart, I know you didn't want to get dragged into this, but this really is an extension of what I was talking about on the plane with you the other day. If you and Jack don't want to announce your relationship to the world that's fine. It won't upset me or hurt my feelings at all. Please don't panic babe, it's really not that bad."

Mark looked up at me, his expression clearing. "Sorry, I was reading these comments. Man, your fans are pushy and aggressive sometimes aren't they?" I gave him a lopsided smile, still worried for him. "And yes, I think it's past time that we address this. We should have done this before we started traveling." Mark looked over at Jack. "Do we want to confirm our relationship as well? Or do we want to wait on that front?"

Jack bit his lip, looking thoughtful for a long moment. "Um, I dunno. I'm totally conflicted on this. On one hand, it has the potential to bite us both big time. On the other, it could help a load of people as well. I'm just worried about the backlash."

I watched them both. "Guys, you absolutely have my support no matter what you decide, but I think maybe this is a decision you need to take your time about. Let's just focus on announcing our relationship and that you are the fathers of my babies first." I chewed my cheek for a minute, thinking. "I have to announce this on my channel, obviously, but how do you two want to handle it? Linking to my announcement on Twitter? Reblogging it on Tumblr? Or recording your own videos? I can also just upload the same video for all three channels if you want, but the fans will not like that at all."

Jack grinned at me. "Extra video? We can do those every once in a while and the fans love them, maybe too much."

Mark nodded. "Let's all get set up and we will record these three videos for our channels. Please, [y/n], edit these yourself and add links to the other videos. I want to get these up tonight if we can." 

I grinned. "Of course. Do you want this up as an extra video also Mark? Or just delaying your second video? Both of you have a video set to release in an hour, but I can't quite edit all three to release by then. I really want them all to get out at the same time if possible."

Mark looked surprised. "Uh, extra video. While you edit them, I'm going to go on Twitter and warn everyone to look for a bonus video today."

Jack laughed. "Ye don't think they stalk yer channel for extras? I swear I have followers who do that on mine." He leaned over and kissed me. "Um, should we call Vicki and tell her as well? This will have an impact on the show as well."

I sighed. "Yeah, we better tell her before the videos are released, just in case it causes a problem for work. I can call her now. Hang on." I called the office first. The department secretary answered. I identified myself and asked if Vicki was in. Luck was with us, she was. The secretary transferred the call. As soon as Vicki picked up, I put the call on speakerphone.

"Hello, this is Vicki. [Y/n] are you there? The secretary said you were calling. What can I do for you?"

"Hi, Vicki. Yeah, I'm here. Or more accurately we're here. I have Jack and Mark here as well. We need to talk to you."

Vicki made a noise of surprise. "Okay? Is something wrong?"

Mark answered. "Not exactly. We just have something we need to announce on YouTube and Twitter. It might effect the show so [y/n] thought we should tell you first." We swallowed and took a deep breath. "Um, you know that [y/n] has been in polyamorous relationships before, right? I mean she has talked about it a lot on her channel, and well, um..." Mark stopped unable to continue.

I jumped in with the rescue. "Jack and Mark are both dating me. They are the fathers of my babies."

Vicki was silent for a long moment. "Really? Both of them? Wait, how does that even work? Or is it just you don't know which one is the actual father and they are both willing to raise the kids?"

I made a disgusted noise. "Listen that's not what's important here. I love them both, and they both love me. I think the fans are on to it, so we are releasing videos about it. I just wanted to let you know, in case the studio could have any fall out from it. My fans shouldn't be a problem, and I doubt Mark's or Jack's will be too bad, but you should at least be aware." 

Vicki snorted. "Yeah. I suspect this will double the ratings and increase the interest in the project. Well, good luck with that. See you in January." With that she ended the call.

I looked at the guys. "Well, that's done at least. Now let's film some vlogs."

We all got comfy and got our cameras out and in place. The guys decided our videos should all be the same thing from each of our perspectives, so we all synced the audio and started the recordings. We started with Mark's intro. "Hello everybody! My name is Markiplier. Today is a special day! I have some company and everyone is getting a bonus video." He turned his camera to Jack and I. We waved and Jack did his usual intro.

"*WAPISH* Top o' tha mornin' ta ye laddies! My name is JackSepticEye! And I'm here, on vacation, with the lovely [Y/Y/N] and mister Markiplier himself. Say hi guys!" We waved s Jack turned his camera on us and then back to himself. "Today, I'm posting an extra video as a treat because it has nothing particularly to do with my usual content. There will still be the usual videos out on time, as usual, thanks to my editors, [Y/Y/N] and my new editor, Adam Colby. [Y/Y/N] is so busy with her own work, organizing and coordinating an entire department for a TV show, recording and managing her own YouTube channel, being added to our TV show, and being very pregnant, she decided she needed a wee bit of help. So thanks Adam for joining the team!" 

I grinned as I listened to Jack. When he paused, I did my intro and showed my fans I was here with Mark and Jack. "Hey people, It's me! [y/y/n], here to bring you an update and with some news. I'm here with two of my favorite YouTubers, who I'm sure you all know and love, Markiplier and JackSepticEye! Say hi guys!" I did a fast pan to each of them. "Anyway, I'm here to discuss some of the comments on my last vlog, asking why I was filming from Mark's mother's house in Cincinnati. First, let me just say WOW! You guys really notice the small details! And before anyone gets too crazy, yes that is Jack's old cabin you can see behind us through the window of some of my more recent vlogs. I'm spending my vacation traveling with them. They even came with me to my family's Thanksgiving dinner. " I paused thinking for a minute.

Mark leaned in, bringing his camera. "That's right." I smiled at him and the camera. Just then the babies started kicking and I winced slightly. Mark was leaned over close and felt the kicks. He zoomed the camera on my baby bump and showed his viewers the rather interesting movements caused by the babies. Then he focused on his face and mine, just behind him. "Sorry, had to share that. That's why the lovely lady behind me winced, not because I shoved a camera in her face. Her babies are kicking now and they are particularly active today! Oh, and for those who are unfamiliar with her, [Y/Y/N] is amazing. She's currently pregnant with quadruplets, which was quite a surprise. That's partly why we are making this video. We want to clear the air about a few things." He paused and watched the babies kicking for a few seconds. 

Jack had been focusing the camera on all of us and leaned on me now, getting comfortable on my side. "Yes, we want ta let everyone know, so no one thinks they have been lied to or tricked in some way. [Y/Y/N] is my girlfriend. BUT she is also Mark's girlfriend. We all agreed ta it. She knows all about polyamorous relationships, has been in a few in tha past, and has made some truly excellent vlogs about it in tha past. We are tha fathers of her babies. And we are super excited!" He paused for a second before adding "Scared out of our minds because we have no idea what we are doing, and are starting out completely outnumbered, but excited."

I smiled at Jack and kissed his head. "Hey, we got this." I looked at the cameras again. "So, please, for the sake of my sanity, STOP DEMANDING PERSONAL INFORMATION ABOUT ME! I'll share what I can, when I'm ready. Now since I'm here. I would love to do a baby bump update. I think I'm going to have to start doing them every two or three days pretty soon, because my babies are growing so fast." I looked at Jack and Mark. "Hey guys, can I get a little help? Not only are you burying me, but you're laying on top of my baby bump, which I suspect my fans want to see. Thanks. Don't go far, please, I want more cuddles in a minute." 

I heard Jack say to his fans "She's so cuddly. She's amazing."

I lifted my shirt, showing my baby bump to the world. The babies, apparently feeling the colder air on my stomach kicked all at once, making interesting and funny movements on my skin. I lowered my shirt and patted them reassuringly. "Easy there little ones, I'm sorry for letting the cold in. I know you don't like it." I looked back up at my camera, smiling apologetically. "Sorry guys, I've gotten in the habit of talking to them, especially now that they respond by moving and kicking. Not trying to sound crazy or anything." I yawned a little. Jack swooped in next to me.

"So anyway, that's where we're going ta leave this video. Thank ye all so much for watching this video. If you liked it, PUNCH that like button in tha face, LIKE A BOSS. And... high fives all around. *WAPISH* *WAPISH* Thank ye guys and I will see all you dudes...IN THE NEXT VIDEOOOO!" I leaned away as Jack yelled his outro, being careful not to get hit with his flailing either. As soon as he was done, I leaned in and gave him a kiss. Afterwards, he leaned over and whispered to the camera "Gonna go hug my babies and girlfriend now. Bye!" And he turned his camera off. 

Mark leaned into me again. "Now that he's done, I can talk again. Anyway, yeah, Jack and I are sharing a girlfriend. Please, please, don't hate on her. She's super sweet, kind, and wonderful. She's helped take care of both of us and now she's carrying our babies. It's amazing." He looked at me, all the love he had shining in his eyes. I smiled back, showing how much I loved him as well. He kissed me gently and I snuggled into his side, nearly forgetting the cameras were still on. He grinned and turned back to the camera. "Thank you everybody so much for watching. And as always, I will see you in the next video. BUH-BYE!" He waved briefly before reaching over and turning his camera off. 

I looked back at my camera one final time. "So, yeah, I've finally revealed my relationship to all of you. Please remember, I watch the comments closely and will ban anyone who is abusive. Since the mystery has been solved, can we just go back to normal now? Well, that's all for me. Until next time, I'm [y/y/n] saying, be kind to one another and remember a smile can change someone's day for the better. Love ya all! *Mwah!* Bye!" I did my signature kiss blowing to the camera, which Jack was now standing behind and he turned it off as he pretended to catch the kiss. We laughed about it for a few seconds before I grabbed all three cameras and did a digital dump of the files to my laptop. 

I edited Mark's video first, before moving on to Jack's and then my own. Once all three were done, I rendered them and uploaded them to the correct channels, adding cross-links in the descriptions. Then when all three were ready I motioned to Jack and Mark. "Guys, we're ready to go live whenever you give the okay. Should I make them live now?" They both nodded. I clicked the button and all three went live. I jumped on Twitter and informed my followers there was a new video. Then I sat back and waited for the fallout. 

Jack and Mark had also jumped on Twitter and promoted the videos. The videos were all under five minutes and I was shocked to see mine went viral after an hour. I looked at Jack's video next. It was not going viral, but it was getting a lot of attention. Mark's was the same. I was very happy to see both of their videos had very, very few dislikes and the comments were extremely positive. Mostly, people were saying how happy both guys looked with me and how cute the babies were going to be. There were a few people who were wondering if this meant Jack and Mark were together also, but not many and mostly people were ignoring them. I smiled and looked at the guys. Jack, who had also been reading the comments and responding, looked at me. "My fans love ye. There are a ton of them who have just said they are going ta subscribe ta ye now. And linking tha video explaining poly relationships in tha description was genius. Thank ye." I nodded and yawned again, starting to feel sleepy. Jack looked at the time. "Well, lass, it's past yer bedtime. Ye and those babies need some sleep. Mark, help me get her up and back ta bed, okay? She's pretty whipped, not that she'd tell us that." We all shut our computers off. 

The two men helped me up and followed me back to bed. I changed into pajamas and crawled under the covers. Jack stripped down and put on pajama pants, as did Mark. Then they both climbed in next to me, snuggling me, keeping me warm and safe all night long. I slept deeply, feeling cherished. The babies settled down too, once we all snuggled together. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry about no update yesterday. My doctor's appointment was rough, an we had to drive a long way to get there and home, in a car with no air conditioning in hundred degree temperatures. So not fun. Especially when the specialist ordered more test for me, including a spinal tap, to be done in their office. Then, I was so exhausted when I got back, all I could do was sleep. 
> 
> I have been battling a migraine all day yesterday and today as well. But I pushed through enough to write this. Now, I'm going to go bury my head and try to sleep the migraine off. Sorry if this isn't as good as usual.


	50. Reactions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to deal with the fallout from the announcement...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Glitter Party* 
> 
> 50 Chapters.  
> Over 170,000 words.  
> Over 7300 views.  
> 200 + Comments.  
> Over 275 Kudos.  
> AND 20 bookmarks.
> 
> IN TWO MONTHS!!! Holy balls! Wow!! (BTW, the 28th marked the two month point since I started this fiction.)
> 
> ___________________________________________________________________________________________________

I was the first one awake the next morning, but after I got up and used the bathroom, I crawled back in bed to snuggle with my still sleeping loves. I had my phone plugged in to the charger by the bed, so I logged on to Twitter to see what people were saying about our announcement. There were a lot of comments, not all of them were what I expected either. I had dozens of fellow YouTubers who tweeted support for the three of us, showing up at the top of my feed. There were some people who were hating on me, claiming I was a greedy whore, stealing two men and sponging off them, trying to gain money and fame by any means I could. I had people claiming the babies weren't Mark's or Jack's and I was just a slut who spread my legs for anyone. I had people tweeting support and love in numbers I couldn't believe. I also had over thirty invitations to come speak at different LBTQ events and colleges and universities across the country, as a figurehead for poly relationships, most noting how clear and open I was about what exactly a true poly relationship was and how unflinching I was about answering questions. I was flattered, but so busy already, I wasn't sure if I could handle more. Once I had gotten through most of the Twitter messages and my feed, I switched to YouTube to look at the comments on my video. 

I was stunned to see it had gone viral. I had literally over a million views since the previous night and several thousand comments. I started reading and responding. The vast majority were completely supportive, but I still had a fair number of haters. And of course, the spam and bots had posted quite a bit, but I was able to sift through much of that quickly. I responded to as many comments as I could for about an hour before Jack woke up next to me. I smiled over at him and leaned in for a kiss. "Hello gorgeous. Did you sleep well?"

Jack grinned at me, sleepy, sexy, and rumpled, before answering. "Mornin', love. I slept fine. Why didn't ye get up? And how bad is tha feedback so far? Any major ripples I need ta address?"

I snuggled a little closer. "Nothing too unexpected except I got a ton of DM's to come speak at events as the new spokesperson for poly relationships. I'm working on answering my comments on the video I posted, at least some of them. I haven't looked at yours or Mark's today. Be warned, mine went viral overnight. I would be very surprised if yours and Mark's didn't as well. And I didn't get up because I used the bathroom and decided I was going to be lazy and come back to the warm, comfy bed with my super sexy men, instead of wandering out alone. Besides, I felt like I might need the support while I checked the comments, especially if there was a lot of hate. Even asleep, the two of you help keep me calm and centered. Now do you want me to move, so you can get up, or do you want to snuggle some more? If you want to snuggle, I'll finish answering this comment and put my phone away for a while." I smiled at him. "I really don't mind."

Jack waggled his eyebrows at me suggestively and dropped his voice into the low sexy voice he used sometimes. "I vote for some quality in bed time." I shivered slightly and wrapped up my answer, exiting YouTube and shutting my phone down. I loved his voice, whether he pitched it low, being sexy, was speaking normally, or even when he got high and squeaky. As soon as I set the phone down, I rolled over slightly, moving so I was slightly on top of him. I reached over and wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him in for a deep, passionate kiss. When we separated, he smiled again, looking slightly dazed. "Wow. I take it ye vote for a day in bed too?" 

My smile turned slightly naughty and my eyes danced as I nodded. Jack grinned. Suddenly we heard Mark speak up. "What about me? Can I join the fun?" Jack turned to him, keeping one arm wrapped around me and reached over to pull Mark in to join us. I unwound my arms from Jack's neck and grabbed Mark instead, bringing him in for a kiss. Jack started kissing the two of us on the necks and shoulders. After we ended the kiss, Mark grinned. "And a very good morning to the two of you. This is the perfect way to wake up, I think."

Jack stopped kissing when the babies suddenly started kicking like crazy and moving around. His face turned from sexy to awe filled in a split second. Since I was on top of him, he could feel the babies perfectly clearly. He looked down, smiling. "Good morning ta ye too, little ones. Are you telling yer momma ta go get ye some food, or are ye objecting ta snuggles and kisses with yer daddies? Ye know, with tha way yer momma is laying here, I can feel yer kicks on my tummy too. Ye are getting strong, just like yer daddies. Now, let's go get yer momma some food for ye. We love ye." He looked back up at me, still smiling, and kissed me again before making me move slightly so he could get up. "What do ye want ta eat this morning, love? I could make some eggs, pancakes, waffles, oatmeal, or do ye want something else entirely?"

I rolled to the edge of the bed and sat up, shifting myself around so I could stand up. Then I looked at the travel clock I always brought everywhere. It was seven AM. Mark crawled over to follow me, sitting next to me, resting his head on my shoulder and his hands on my belly. I smiled sweetly at him before looking back up at Jack. "Let's go try making something new. I'm in the mood to experiment today, and I can pull up a recipe on my phone that we can try. How about we make a breakfast casserole and a big batch of apple cinnamon rolls?"

Jack grinned. "Sounds fancy. Can we handle it, if ye just watch?"

I looked at him. "I can handle a knife you know. But yes, I think the two of you could do it, even if I weren't there. I will be though, at the very least watching. The rolls are actually a recipe I know by heart, so I don't even have to look them up, but now that I think about them, we will need to make the dough today to have them tomorrow. We can make either a danish or some strudel instead I guess. Let's go see what your mom has in the kitchen for ingredients Jack." With that I stood up, making Mark whine a little as he lost contact with me. I looked at him. "Sorry babe, but I do need to go get some food. The babies need it and they always start kicking harder when I start to get hungry. They are already letting me know they want something soon, so I'm going to go get a piece of fruit or some juice at least while we cook. Are you coming too, or do you want to stay in bed a while longer?"

He looked at the bed and then at Jack and I. He pouted a little as he stood up to join us. "I was so comfy though! Why do we have to be adults about life?"

I grinned and shook my head. "Because I'm going to be a mom in a few months to half a sports team? Because even kids have to get up and eat when they are hungry?"

Mark crossed his arms and stuck out his tongue at me for a minute. "Spoil sport."

I leaned in close and whispered to him. "Besides, being an adult has it's advantages. It may also be why you are going to be dad soon." I winked at him as he blushed a little. Jack grinned, having heard everything I said.

He decided to add his own comment as well, again lowering his voice to the sexy, deep voice Mark and I both loved. "Yeah Markimoo. Grown ups have a different kind of playtime. We can plan ours for later."

Mark shivered. "Stop that." Jack winked and shook his head. Mark immediately lowered his voice to his sexy voice as well. "Two can play that game Jackaboy. And why do we have to wait until later? I want to play now."

I shivered, not from cold, and looked at the bed. I really, really wanted to just jump both men, here and now, but the babies were kicking up a storm and I knew it might throw them off their game and distract me as well. I decided to make a move on Mark anyway, suddenly moving into him, closing the distance between us completely in one move. I pressed as close as my baby bump would allow and pulled him in for a long kiss. The babies were still kicking and it distracted him more than a little, I could tell. When we separated, he stared at my belly. I crossed my arms, feeling annoyed. "That's not the reaction I was hoping for Mark. Way to make me feel sexy. You pull away from my kiss to stare at my stomach. That could be taken poorly by some people." 

Jack came over and hugged me from behind. "I love ye, even if Mark is a goober this morning. Let's go make some food for ye so ye can be superwoman for the day again, doing the work of half a dozen people and growing four babies all at the same time." He planted a kiss on my cheek and lead me away, to the kitchen. I grabbed my laptop on the way, from the living room, and set it up on the table, in case we needed a recipe and so I could use the web while breakfast cooked. Jack smiled at me. "Sit down at tha table. What kind of fruit do ye want this morning? Ma has grapes, bananas, apples, and pears. Oh, and there is apple juice, orange juice, and grapefruit juice or milk."

I thought for a minute. "Apple juice please. How many pears and apples are there? We could do a breakfast tart with pears and cheese if there are more than three, and the apple cinnamon rolls will take at least five apples." Jack reached in the fridge and pulled out a full bag of apples and most of a bag of pears. "Great! Let's make the breakfast casserole and a pear and cheese tart for this morning then, and tonight we'll mix up the dough for the cinnamon rolls for tomorrow. Can you please put a note on the bag of apples to save six of them for tomorrow? Thank you Jack."

He grinned as he saw me immediately go online to find the perfect tart crust recipe. He grabbed a sticky note and wrote a message, sticking it on the bag of apples, before pulling out the juice for me, eggs, cheese, milk, bacon, sausage, and pears. I asked him to grab the cream cheese as well and some butter. Once everything was on the counter, I asked him to get the rest of what we would need. Mark came in then, looking sheepish. "[Y/n], I'm really sorry for how I reacted a few minutes ago. I wasn't thinking, and I didn't mean to hurt your feelings or be a jerk, but I was, so you have every right to be mad at me. What can I do to make it up to you?"

Jack grinned again. "Come help me ye doofus, and pour her a glass o' juice. We're cooking some new things here!"

I smiled at his enthusiasm. I looked at Mark. "It's okay Mark, you just upset me. I'm already feeling kind of cow like and having you pull away from a kiss to stare at my stomach... Just please don't do it again, even if the babies are kicking." 

Mark brought the glass of juice over for me and leaned in for a kiss. "Baby, you are not a cow. You are a sexy, smart, amazing woman, who I can't believe is in my life. I just wasn't expecting so much movement when I kissed you before and I'm an ass. I'm so, so sorry. Please, don't think you are anything but the most beautiful woman I have ever known. I love you more than I can express properly." He stood back up and looked at me for a long moment, love shining in his eyes. I blushed slightly, feeling better.

"Thanks Mark. It does make a difference. I'm sorry if I overreacted a little. I guess some of the comments I was reading this morning made me feel a little sensitive and defensive." I looked down at the floor.

Jack came over, hugging me again. "Love, ignore the haters. I know it's hard, and words can hurt, but ye know how much we care, at least I hope ye do. Come on, can ye give us a smile at least?" I was still looking at the floor, trying to shake the mental funk I was in, the hateful comments running in circles in my head. I think Jack could tell, because he pulled my chair away from the table and came around in front of me, lifting my chin in his hand and cupping my face. "What did they say that's effecting ye so badly? I wish I had known sooner. Mark and I are here for ye, no matter what. Now, give me a proper kiss and let's get back to work on cooking." He kissed me, long, gently, and deeply, trying to show me the depth of his love with just his lips. I closed my eyes and just focused on Jack, forcing the hate out of my mind. When we broke apart to breathe, Mark was behind me and wrapped his arms around me, hugging my shoulders.

"Babe, I didn't know you had been looking at comments this morning. That kind of makes my asinine behavior worse, doesn't it? God, I'm such a screw up sometimes. I don't know how you and Jack put up with me."

"Mark, it's really not that bad. I just... I just didn't deal with your reaction well. I'm sorry too. Jack's right, we need to focus on breakfast." I straightened my shoulders as Mark and Jack walked back to the counter. I instructed Mark to get out a bunch of vegetables like spinach, mushrooms, peppers, onions, and potatoes, asking him to wash them and shred them for the casserole. I had Jack bring me a knife and the pears, after he washed them. Once I had them, I instructed him on how to make the tart shell and bake it. It needed to blind bake (a bake done with no filling to prevent soggy or raw dough), and after it was done, I had Jack start cooking the bacon. Mark was assigned the cooking off the sausage. Before long the kitchen smelled wonderful and the men had made coffee and hot water for tea. "Okay guys, all we need to do now for the casserole is crumble the sausage and bacon, scramble the eggs, mix everything together, and bake those puppies." I smiled. "Mark, when you grated the potatoes, did you wash the grater? I need it for the cheese." 

He shook his head. "I'll do that now. Jack can you handle finishing the casseroles? I think we are going to have to split this into more than one pan." He washed the grater, bringing it over to me along with the cheddar cheese and a block of pepper jack cheese. I grated the spicy cheese first, keeping a small amount to mix in the tart, and added about half the cheddar to the mix as well for the casseroles. I sent Mark over to check on the tart crust, which was done. He pulled the two crusts out to cool and helped Jack finish the casseroles and put them in the oven. I had a huge bowl of pear slices that I carried over and put next to the crusts, along with the bowl of cheese. Now we just had to wait. My stomach growled loudly. Mark grinned and looked at me. "Time to eat something. How does a yogurt sound?"

I sighed. He grabbed two yogurts from the fridge handing one to me and offering one to Jack, who declined. He grabbed two spoons and came over to the table, sitting down next to me as I resumed my seat. Jack grabbed a handful of grapes and ate them with us. When we were done he jumped up and threw our trash away, collected our spoons, and checked the tart crusts. They were cool enough to use, so I told him how to fill them layering the pears, cheese, and some brown sugar. When they were ready, he added them to the oven and rejoined us at the table. "Jack, when does everyone usually get up?" 

Jack scratched his head. "Um, I'm not exactly sure. They used ta get up around nine-thirty, but I don't really know now. It's quarter past nine now."

I nodded. Good. The food should be ready not long after they all got up. I reached for my laptop again and logged back on to YouTube, this time checking Jack's channel. I smiled. His community was extremely supportive of the announcement video yesterday, and yes, there were a number of Septiplier shippers asking if that meant their OTP was real as well, but there was hardly any hate. The support for me in the comments was astounding. Almost universally, people were commenting how happy Jack looked and how clear it was that I was a good for him. Quite a few were also claiming they knew before I announced it, have guessed a long time ago based on how he acted when he got hurt and I was in the videos from then on. I closed Jack's page and opened Mark's, hoping for similar positivity and support. 

Mark's community was supportive as well, but there was also a lot of negative comments. Some of the fans were being overly aggressive and there were even some people threatening all three of us on his channel. I swallowed back tears as I read a few of the comments. I was startled when suddenly my computer was pulled away from me by Mark. He spun it around to see what had upset me and growled as he started reading the comments. He scrolled farther along than I had gotten and got even more upset. Seeing his reaction, I knew there must have been some major hate. "Mark, are you okay? I didn't mean for you to see yet. I was just checking to see how bad it was so we could brace ourselves a bit."

Mark looked up. His eyes softened as he noticed how upset I looked and he pushed his chair away to come hug me again. "Oh baby, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have just grabbed your computer like that, but you were so upset, I had to do something. Are the comments bad for you and Jack too?" 

I looked at him. "Not really. I'm not sure why they all are attacking you. I got a lot more hate on Twitter than YouTube though. Jack's community was super sweet. Even the Septiplier shippers were just asking if that meant you two were also together, but they were supportive of me at the same time. My channel was almost all supportive comments or bot spam." I swallowed. "I got some really bad comments on Twitter calling me a slut, a whore, and that there was no way I could possibly claim either one of you fathered my babies. I got a few threats too."

Mark hugged me again. "Babe." That was all he said, but I could hear a wealth of emotions behind it. Jack came over and gripped my shoulder as well. It was then that Ma and Pa came in. They could see we were upset, so Ma sat down and Pa went over to get them some tea. 

Ma looked at me. "What's wrong? Are ye okay? Is it the babbies?" 

I shook my head. "We announced we were in a relationship yesterday online, and there has been some major negativity. We're just trying to cope." I looked at Jack. "Love, could you check on breakfast? I think the tarts might be just about done." 

He went over to check, and sure enough they were perfect. He set them back on the cooling rack and checked the casseroles. Once was done, so he pulled it out and turned the oven off, closing the door. The other casserole was almost done and it would finish cooking in the hot oven just fine. Jack got out plates, forks, and serving utensils before dishing out some casserole for Mark, me, and himself. He offered some to his parents as well, after he delivered Mark's and mine to us. Mark slid over to his chair and dragged it as close to mine as he could, settling in. I moved my laptop off the table and brought my plate in close. "Guys this looks great."

Mark smiled at me. "You helped a lot. And you told us how to make it. I have never in my life made a breakfast casserole before. It was kind of interesting, and I would have never thought to added grated potatoes to an egg dish." He took a bite. "Hey, this is really good! It tastes like a really fancy omelette and hash browns. The spicy cheese is good too, it gives it a little heat, but not too much." I put an arm around me and whispered in my ear. "Thanks for not making it too spicy."

I grinned at him. "Personally, I think it needs some hot sauce, but it's pretty good without it." I looked over at Jack who was still dishing out plates and cutting the tart. "Hey Jack, can you bring some hot sauce over when you come next? And you can just bring the tart over to the table, if it's cool enough. We can serve it after we eat the casserole. Thank you sweetie!"

Jack smiled and shook his head, grabbing the hot sauce and checking the tart. It was still a little too hot to carry, so he left it on the cooling rack and just carried the plates over, handing them to his parents and handing me the hot sauce. Then he grabbed his plate and the coffee pot, refilling his cup and offering some to Mark. Mark accepted, so Jack topped his cup up, replaced the pot on the coffee maker, and sat down, pulling his chair up as close to me other other side as he could. I smiled at him as he sat down. We were all sitting together on one side of the table, so close our legs were touching. Mark kept sneaking a hand over to pat the babies, as though I would suddenly disappear, or my pregnancy would be a dream that he woke up from. Jack grinned when he noticed this and winked at me. Before long Jack reached over and set a hand on my baby bump as well, not bothering to hide it below the table. Ma grinned as she watched us. I just ate, adding the amount of hot sauce I deemed necessary. I finished first and was thinking about getting some more when Simon walked in. "It smells amazing in here. Who cooked this early?"

I grinned at him. "We did. Well, Jack and Mark, mostly. I cut up a few things, grated some cheese, and told them what to do." I looked at Mark and Jack for a minute. "I hope I wasn't too bossy."

Mark smiled at me. "Nope. We would have told you if you were. Besides, we had no idea what we were doing. Right, Jack?" Jack nodded his agreement, but kept eating, clearly hungry. Mark's smile widened. He winked at me. "Someone was hungry this morning, I see." My stomach growled again, making me blush a little. "Well, make that two someone's. Babe, do you want some more? I'll go get some for you. After all, you have more people to consider and they were certainly complaining this morning." 

"Yes, please Mark. Thank you." 

Ma smiled at me. "So polite. And a good cook. Ye can't tell someone else how ta cook unless, ye can do it yerself. Clearly, ye are a good influence on these two. I'm glad ye can take care of them, and ye are letting them take care of ye. Sensible lass." 

Jack grinned. "She's a smart cookie. And we had ta fight her a little early on ta let us help, but we finally convinced her she can't do everything alone. At least I think we did." He looked at me again. "Didn't we?"

I chuckled. "Sweetie, I never thought I could do it all alone, and I never wanted to. But you and Mark were a little too clingy for a while. You eased off some and I decided to let you help more, that's all. Besides, I realized the two of you had better get used to doing more, so when these little stars get here you can handle it. I have the feeling I'm going to be pretty useless for the first few days. If you can manage the cooking and things, I can have a little more time to recover."

Pa looked at me, smiling. "Like Ma said. Ye're a sensible lass. It's good ta see." He looked at Jack. "Jackaboy needs that."

Jack looked vaguely insulted and made a face. "Thanks for the vote of confidence Pa." 

I giggled. "This sounds a lot like my family." I looked at Jack. "Doesn't it?" 

He grinned. "Yeah. Pretty much. Hey, Markimoo, can you manage ta bring the tart over when ye come, or are yer hands too full?'

Mark grabbed my plate in one hand and the tart in the other, checking to make sure it was cool enough to handle before he picked up my plate. "I got it. Can somebody clear a spot for it, or at least point out where to put it?"

Jack laughed. "Mark, half the table is completely empty. Put it down there, ye doof."

I swatted Jack's shoulder gently. "Be nice." 

Mark set the tart down in the empty space next to him and set my plate down in front of me, stealing a kiss as he did so. "Thanks for sticking up foe me babe."

I grinned back at him. "No problem, and thanks for bringing me food. The babies are starting to kick again. They settled down for a little while, when I was eating, but now, the party has started again. I think they must be as hyper as the two of you combined, guys." I looked down at my belly. "Calm down in there. No football at the table." Everyone grinned at me. 

Simon laughed. "American football or proper football?"

I shook my head, crossing my arms in mock seriousness. "Any football will not be tolerated at the table. Actually, I think sports in general don't belong at the table while people are eating."

Ma nodded as everyone chuckled. "Like I said, sensible. Now feed those grandbabies of mine so they can grow big and healthy."

I looked at Mark and Jack, a teasing glint in my eyes. "Well, as big as they can. Their daddies aren't the biggest men ever."

They both made indignant noises and leaned in close, making suggestive innuendoes in a whisper. I raised my eyebrows at them, one at a time, continuing the teasing by not changing my answer. They were right about not being small everywhere, but I was hardly going to tell Jack's parents and brother that. When Jack kept pushing the issue, I leaned close and whispered that to him exactly. He blushed as he realized what he was actually asking me to say. Mark heard it as well and cleared his throat. "You know, you are the sensible one in our group, [y/n]." I looked at him as he whispered "That could have been really awkward." 

Simon grinned at him. "Yeah, imagine if we could have heard every word of that. Except for some reason whatever yer girlfriend said."

I laughed outright as Mark and Jack blushed and tried to merge with the floor. "Hey, I can be loud when I want, but I also know how to be really quiet. Mark and Jack are just lucky I dislike horror games, or else a few times they might have had a worse jump scare than the games they play would have provided."

They both looked at me and flinched. "Ye wouldn't dare."

I grinned at him. "I still owe the two of you for the debacle at the party we threw when Ken came over just before my birthday. Actually, I owe you more than one for that day."

Mark and Jack both went a little pale. "Crap. I had hoped you had forgiven us for that, babe. We really didn't mean to..."

The look I gave Mark, stopped him. "Please, Mark, think before you speak. And maybe consider who else is here? They really don't need to know what happened, unless you want to add to the list of things I might have to hold over your head in the future."

Jack winced. "Shut up now Mark. And why don't ye start dipping tha tart."

Mark gladly started handing out tart to anyone finished with the casserole. When I finished my second helping, I asked Jack to rinse my plate before I had Mark dip the tart for me. I didn't want hot sauce on my tart. Jack jumped up and took care of it, wiping the water off with a paper towel as he came back. "Thank you Jack." Mark dished me a fairly large piece of tart. "Thank you Mark."

The tart was delicious, just like the rest of the food. After we all finished, I excused myself for a bathroom run before grabbing my laptop and settling in on the couch in the living room. I decided to record a vlog about the reactions to the videos. I started with my usual intro. "Hey people. It's me! [Y/Y/N] here. Now first and foremost, this video is to thank the overwhelming number of viewers and fans who have given me so much support, and to those in Jack's and Mark's communities who have also been so nice. Thank you so, so much. I got a lot of very sweet comments and basically, love, from so many of you. It's incredible. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I can't believe how many people are truly happy for us and wish us nothing but the best." I paused for a second chewing my lip. "Now for the bad part. We have also gotten some truly terrible comments. I know our lifestyle choice isn't for everyone and we are not trying to push anyone to do anything. People should be able to live whatever kind of life they want, whether it be gay, straight, polyamorous, bisexual, or completely asexual is no one's business but your own and whoever you choose to be with. But that being said, NO ONE should be facing death threats or being told they are worthless whores, sluts, or worse, just because they love someone or more than one person. That's just wrong. And threatening to kill people is illegal. I know, in the past, I have made jokes about the mean comments I have received. I'm a strong woman, and I can handle a lot. But some of the things that were said to me on Twitter, in particular, crossed the line. No one should have to see that kind of hate. So please, for the sake of everyone's sanity, think carefully before you send that message. Take a minute and decide if you can handle the fact that your comment may be the one that sends someone over the edge in depression or makes them suicidal. I'm not saying that I'm suicidal, but I know people who would be if they got the messages I did. Mark got some extremely nasty comments as well." I shook my head, pausing for a moment to regain my composure. "How would you feel, knowing you were the reason one of us stopped doing YouTube and helping all the people we can. Could you handle that? And could you handle receiving a message like you are sending to a complete stranger, who is sitting somewhere out there, anonymously judging you?" Jack walked into view behind me, coming around to sit next to me. "We are all going to have to deal with so many things, but please keep this one simple fact in mind. We are just people. Just like you and your family. Kindness is easier than hate. Also, remember love is strong but it can be swallowed up by too much negativity." Jack leaned in and kissed me, snuggling close. I smiled at him, feeling his support and the love flowing through him for me and the babies. "Okay, enough heavy stuff. Basically, I just wanted to remind everyone to treat people better than they want to be treated. A small act of kindness to a stranger can really make a positive difference in the world. You really don't know what someone else is going though, and that small thing could be the action that turns the tide of depression. But maybe not. Either way, it will make you feel good, and the other person will feel better. Smiles are contagious. Laughter can help heal your soul. Love is a miracle." I smiled at the camera and shook my head. "Jeez, I just realized how cheesy I must sound. Enough of that. Anyway, thank you to the amazing and wonderful viewers who were supportive of all of us, especially thank you to the fans and community on Jack's channel and mine. You have all been rock stars and the amount of positivity there is awe inspiring." I looked down at Jack, who was laying on my baby bump, making swirling patterns with his hands, watching the babies respond by kicking. "Hey love, anything you want to tell my viewers?" He shook his head, not saying anything right now, just continuing to snuggle and play with the babies. I grinned at the camera, thinking how adorable he was. "Well, that's all for now. I may have to do another sarcastic video about the negative comments if they continue, and I will bring names, Twitter handles, and pictures into it if that happens, so be prepared for some fallout if you hate on us too much. And I see all Jack's and Mark's comments as well folks. Remember, I'm still their editor and have full access to their channels. Also remember, too much stress can harm the unborn babies I'm carrying." I eyed the camera for a minute, making sure the viewers got my meaning. "But anyway, that's enough for today. I love you all, so until next time, I'm [Y/Y/N] saying, be kind to one another and remember a smile can change someone's day for the better. Love ya all! *Mwah* Bye!" With that I ended the vlog. I looked down at Jack. "You okay, sweetheart? You're awfully quiet, especially for you."

He looked up at me. "I'm so sorry ye have ta face all of this crap! Just because Mark and I are public figures on tha Internet."

I chuckled and played with Jack's floof. "Sweetie, I've had to face this before I even knew you. It may be a larger scale now, but honestly? I can handle it. I just wanted to get some of the people who really aren't bad to think about what the potential effects of their actions could be. The Internet sometimes allows to much privacy to the wrong people. Now, I'm going to edit this and post it right away. Do you want to play some games with me after? We could just have a fun day today and not worry about anything else. Your sisters and Mally aren't coming for a little while yet and we don't have anything planned, so let's just blow off all our responsibilities and have a day for just us. What do you say?"

He grinned. "Sounds perfect. If I didn't have ta move, I'd go get Mark, but I'm too comfy here. Did ye notice tha babies are following my fingers?"

I chuckled. "Jack, sweetie, of course I did. I can feel them moving under the skin. We can tell Mark in a little while, after I'm done posting this video." I grabbed my laptop and got to work. I was done pretty quickly, not cutting anything out except some dead air. Mark came in and looked at us, taking up the whole couch. As I finished with my video, setting it to render, I heard him whine.

"Hey, where am I supposed to fit in here? [Y/N] you're sitting all the way at the end. Jack you're taking up the rest of the couch the way you're laying there. It's not fair"

I smirked at his pout. "I'm going to tell you what my mother told my brothers when they whined at her. Whiny boys get nothing." After a few seconds I added "Whiny girls also get nothing, just so the two of you don't think it's sexist."

Jack grinned at me. Mark ducked his head, muttering "That doesn't fix my problem." 

"Maybe not, but it does fix mine. Now, as soon as this video finishes rendering, I have a vlog to post. Jack and I want to just have a fun day today, blowing off everything else. What do you say?" 

Mark grinned. "Sounds amazing. What do we do first?"

I thought for a minute. "Well, I had suggested video games to Jack, but..." I paused thinking hard. "I think I have a better Idea. Let's build a pillow and blanket fort in the bedroom. We can watch movies and play video games in there afterwards. And if we are in the bedroom, we will be out of the way and can leave it up if we want."

Mark and Jack both thought that was a great idea and jumped to go get started. I smiled and finished working on my video, responding to more comments on Twitter as the video rendered. I made a thumbnail while I waited as well. As soon as it was done, I uploaded it and set it to release immediately. I finished up a few more things online and put my computer to sleep, grabbing Mark's and Jack's laptops and all the necessary power cords, mice, and fans before heading back to the bedroom. When I opened the door to our room, I was astonished. The guys had nearly finished, making the fort so the bed was included. I grinned, plugged in all our computers and sett them inside. Then I went to tell Ma, Simon, and Pa what we had planned for the day and why. They smiled, understanding, and told us they would see us whenever we came out, maybe. Simon mentioned he might actually be going out later and said goodbye now, just in case he didn't see me again until the next day. Ma and Pa looked thoughtful for a few seconds before deciding they too were going to go out for the day, leaving us alone with our pillow and blanket fort in the house. Ma had told me earlier she had a doctor's appointment, so she decided that they were just going to go do some errands and eat out, maybe stopping for a movie as well. I smiled at her and wished them goodbye before heading back into the room with the guys. The had finished when I got back. I informed them we had the whole house to ourselves today and explained where everyone else was going to be. Both men immediately rushed out to go say goodbye to everyone before they left, and I got settled in the fort, claim a spot where I could either sit propped up, or lay down easily and both men could snuggle me comfortably. When they got back, that's exactly what they did. Jack had hauled his old, small, but still working TV out of the closet, plugging his phone into the AUX slot. Jack queued Netflix and we all started watching cartoons and playing games together for the rest of the day.

We may or may not have also taken ad vantage of the fact that no one else was here to have some intense, passionate, adult playtime. We were all MUCH more relaxed when everyone came home, even though we stayed in our room, only leaving to use the bathroom or get food. We left the fort up when we went to bed, sleeping under the gentle glow of the strings of twinkle lights the boys had found and put up in the top of our retreat. As I drifted off to sleep, exhausted but very happy, Jack snuggling me on my right side and Mark snuggling on my left, I thought how perfect my life was in this single moment. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's a little late, but it's extra long to make up for that!


	51. Alone?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where the hell is everyone?

When I woke up under the cover of the blanket fort, I was momentarily confused. Where was I again? As soon as I moved slightly I remembered. I was at Jack's parents house in Ireland and we were visiting for Christmas. We had been here in Ireland for under three full days, and we had told the Internet and our fans about our relationship. There were, of course negative reactions, but by and large, everyone had been pretty accepting with a few exceptions. I would have to monitor our channels for a while but, that was hardly new. I looked around, seeing the bed was empty. I was usually the first one awake. Where had the boys gone? As soon as I thought of their daddies, the babies started kicking up a storm, making their presence felt. "Oof. Jeez, calm down in there. I'll get up, go use the bathroom, get some food and go look for them. You don't need to try to bruise my insides, little ones." I rubbed by tummy, wincing as the babies moved to follow where I touched and concentrated the kicks and movements there. I rolled to the edge of the bed, as best I could, and maneuvered myself up, with only some cursing. I really could have used some help, guys, I thought to myself. Once I was up, I walked to the bathroom and took care of business. I still hadn't seen anyone else yet, so I wandered into the kitchen. Empty. I put the kettle on and made myself a plate of leftovers from the previous morning, heating it in the microwave. I sat down at the table, waiting until my food and the tea water was hot. When they were, I made my tea, got my food, and sat down having breakfast alone, something that happened only rarely Just as I finished and was taking care of my dirty dishes, I saw the note with my name on it.

"[Y/n], mornin' lass! This is Ma and Pa. We decided to go visit Susan and her family after we came home from my doctors appointment, so you and the lads will have the house to yourselves until at least tommorow afternoon. We're trying to convince her to bring her brood over to meet you, but we'll see. At very least, we will be bringing her along for a few hours. See you then. Rest up! --Ma and Pa

I smiled to myself and wondered if the boys had also gotten such notes. Speaking of the guys, where were they? I had started looking around the house, but didn't get very far when the phone rang. Since I appeared to be the only one around, I waddled over to get it, sitting down next to the receiver and base to pick it up. "Hello? This is the McLoughlin residence. Can I help you?"

"Hi! Ye don't sound like my family. Is everyone still in bed?"

"Um, I don't know. Is this Alison, by chance? I don't know where Simon or Jack are. Your parents left a note they would be at Susan's house this morning. Or at least that's what they had planned last night."

"Yes, this is Alison. Sorry for not telling ye right away. What are Ma and Pa doing at Susan's? Is Ma okay?"

"As far as I know, she's fine. She had a doctor's appointment yesterday afternoon, about her foot and leg, then she and Pa were going to go run errands. They decided to try to convince Susan and her family to come meet Mark and I. Simon went out, I think, and I don't know what time he came home, if he even did."

Alison laughed. "Of course, ye don't. Listen, are ye going ta be around today? I kind of want ta stop by and meet ye and this is one of my rare days off."

"Sure, I'll be here. I'm just looking for where Jack and Mark wandered off to right now, but I'm not the most mobile right now, so you shouldn't have any trouble spotting me. I'll be the one who looks like they swallowed a whole beach ball."

She chuckled. "Ye can't be that big. Ye're not that far along! I'll see ye in a bit then. Bye!" She hung up before I could even properly correct her or say my own goodbye. I sighed and put the phone down. One of the babies moved, not kicking me, just just moving around, as though reminding me I needed to get up and find their daddies.

I stood up and walked over to my cell phone. I was super glad I had an international calling plan, same as Jack and Mark, and decided I was going to send them both a text to see where they were. First I looked around the living room and bedroom to make sure they hadn't left their phones on their changers. They hadn't so I sent the texts and waited. After twenty minutes, I started to worry a little. Normally, they would text me back right away, even if one of them was driving, the other would send me a message telling me just that. I texted again just in case they had missed the first message. No reply. After an hour with no reply, I was pacing and starting to feel a little sick. I tried calling them, repeatedly, but they didn't pick up, their phones just went straight to voicemail. I left messages for both of them to call me as soon as they got the message, but no reply came. What happened to them? Disaster situations started playing in my head, putting me on the verge of a panic attack. Suddenly, I felt my heart skip and got dizzy. I sat down on the couch, trying to calm down, but it was no use, I was too far into the panic attack. My breathing got very erratic and I could feel the tears in my eyes, waiting to be shed. I tried to focus on breathing, but my thoughts swirled, in a complete jumble, making focus on anything nearly impossible. The babies were oddly still, giving my panic a new edge. What if something was wrong with them too? That pushed me even farther into the panic attack. I was trying not to pass out, struggling just to hold on and breathe for the sake of the babies when I heard a car door outside. That noise was enough to break the last of my focus and the panic won. My hearing roared and my vision greyed out as I passed out on the couch, just as the front door opened. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this is super short! There will be another chapter on the way in a little while (TODAY I promise!), but I felt the need to end the chapter here...
> 
> I don't know why I'm so mean...


	52. Rescue Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heavy chapter. Tread lightly. Also, baby gender reveal and sweet moments.

It took a long time to come back into consciousness. The first thing I noticed was the smell of sugar, rain, and woods. Jack. Jack was back. Next, I felt arms around me, surrounding me. Someone had pulled me onto their lap, and someone else was holding me as well. Mark? Was he here as well? My head was muzzy and I hurt all over, as though I had been bruised from head to toe. I still couldn't open my eyes, hear, or move. I was feeling oddly detached from my body as well, almost floating. I was cold, but I couldn't do anything about it. My heart skipped again, several times. I involuntarily winced and shivered, making the arms around me tighten. I struggled to try to come back to full awareness, but it was like swimming in concrete. I kept pushing until finally I could hear and move just a little. Jack and Mark were both talking to me, trying to get me to wake up, pleading with me to please be okay. My eyelids fluttered just slightly, but it was all I could manage. Darkness was trying to swallow me again. What had happened?

Later, I was fully aware and able to open my eyes. I looked around completely confused. Where was I? Jack was laying down, curled around me. Mark was curled against my back. It took several second for me to realize I was in a hospital bed, hooked to machines, monitoring my heart and breathing. Jack opened his eyes, when he felt my head come up to look around. His eyes were red and he looked like he had been crying. "Love? Are ye back with us now? Jaysus, don't ever scare us like that again. What happened ta ye? And where was everyone else?" His voice sounded almost broken.

Mark's arms squeezed me gently. "Oh my god. You scared us so bad." He kissed the back of my neck. 

I was still very confused and my mouth was dry as paper. When I opened it to speak, my voice was gone. Jack must have seen something, because he grabbed a bottle of water and held it for me, lining the straw up with my mouth so I could take a drink. I drank nearly the whole thing before I tried again. "Thank you. What happened to you guys? Why didn't you answer your phones? I had a massive panic attack because I could get in touch with you." I laid my head down and lift one hand to rub my chest. "Why does my chest hurt so bad? And why are we in a hospital? What's going on?" My heart monitor started to speed up and beeped a warning.

Mark leaned close again. "Shh. Babe, calm down. We're so, so sorry we scared you. We really didn't mean to. We went into town for a little while, after we saw you were still asleep. We figured we would be back before anyone would notice we were gone. And we thought Jack's parents would be there. We didn't mean to leave you completely alone. We promise."

Jack looked at me, tears in his eyes again. "Ye passed out and fell just as we opened the door coming in. For some reason, our phones didn't get a signal in town, and as soon as we saw yer texts and calls we tried to respond but ye didn't answer. When we couldn't wake ye up, we carried ye out ta tha car, left a note for Ma and Pa, drove ye here, and ye were admitted. Yer heart was going crazy. Tha doctors had ta use a special sedative ta calm ye down and check ye and tha babies out. They are okay, by the way. Ye, ye're not doing as good."

I looked at him, not understanding. "What do you mean? What's wrong?"

Mark cuddled me closer. "Your heart is struggling. The doctor will be in to see you in a few minutes, but basically, we are going to have to watch you all the time for a while. The virus that attacked your heart last spring may be back." I shivered. "The strain of the pregnancy isn't helping." I could hear the tears his his voice. Jack was crying again as well. Both men were careful not touching the babies, just cuddling above the baby bump, hugging my shoulders, neck, and holding my hands. I had a sudden feeling of dread. Was I going to lose the babies? Mark leaned his head against my back and sobbed gently.

I suddenly couldn't breathe again. The alarms blared. A team of doctors came in at a run, forcing Mark and Jack away until they realized that made me worse. Jack was eventually able to get me calmed down, patting my shoulders and humming. Mark was still sobbing, in a chair beside the bed now. The doctors had told him, until he calmed down, he had to stay there. They then gave the men stern looks and told them I was to have no stress. Jack held me, still humming gently, laying tight against me, keeping me calm. My chest hurt again. Suddenly one of the babies moved, kicking me. It calmed me even further and I fell asleep unable to handle anything else for a few minutes.

When I woke back up, I was calm. My brain had been milling everything over while I slept apparently, and had come to a decision. These babies were my number one priority. I would do everything I could to make sure they made it safely into the world, even if it was risky to me. I still needed to find out what was going on exactly with my health though. I opened my eyes and smiled at Jack. He was asleep on my chest, breathing lightly and holding me still. Mark was sitting in the chair next to the bed, brooding silently. "Hey, Markimoo. You okay?"

He looked over at me, startled. "I didn't know you were awake yet [y/n]. How are you feeling?"

Just then a doctor walked in and chuckled. "Yes, how are ye feeling?"

I thought for a minute. "Confused. Sore. Pregnant. And curious. What's going on with my heart now?"

The doctor nodded. "Understandable. Ye have a defect in yer heart. Ye know that right? Well, it appears to have gotten bigger and the strain of the pregnancy may be ta blame. We have two options really. One, monitor ye extra close and make sure ye are never alone, avoiding stress as much as possible. Or two, do heart surgery and repair the tear. Both have some major risks to ye and yer babies. I do have ta mention, if yer babies weren't there, we could do the surgery with very minimal risk. Ye might not even need it. We need ta do an ultrasound ta check on tha babbies health anyway. The appeared alright from what we could tell in a quick exam, but we need ta do a more through check. Do ye agree ta that?"

I nodded. "Doctor, if you were me, what would you do? About my heart I mean."

He looked at me kindly. "I don't know. Circumstances can make a huge difference. I have ta go schedule this ultrasound. Take some time and think lass, okay? Ye don't have ta decide right this minute." With that he stepped out the door.

I looked at Mark, who had gone dead pale and was staring at the floor. I shivered slightly, making Jack cling a little tighter and whimper in his sleep. I looked at him and a faint smile played across my lips. I reached over and started running my fingers through his hair, playing with his floof. It soothed both of us and I felt him relax into me more. I breathed in his wonderful scent and contemplated my future. I needed more information. There were no two ways about it. I needed to speak to a specialist and find out the risks of the surgery and the benefits. I also needed to find out what might happen if I didn't have the surgery. The only thing I knew at this point was I was going to protect these babies. My other hand went to my baby bump, rubbing gently. I felt an answering kick and smiled a little more. Apparently the babies had decided it was time to wake up now, because they all started kicking, make me wince slightly and waking Jack up. I looked at me in sleepy confusion for a few seconds before reality set in and sorrow filled his eyes. One of the babies kick particularly hard, just below where his stomach was, making him jump slightly and look down. 

A few minutes later the doctor came back in with a portable ultrasound machine. Jack moved off me, sitting down on the edge of the bed by my shoulder and held the hand I had been running through his hair just a few minutes before. "Now before I start do ye want to see the genders of tha babies if we can?"

Mark and Jack looked at each other, nearly in despair. I spoke up. "Yes. I want to see everything and I definitely want to know if we are having girls, boys, or some of each." I looked at Jack and Mark. "We are having these babies. Stop acting like they died. It's not good for you or me." They both looked at me, startled, but nodded when they saw my expression. "Do you two want to find out also, or should I ask you to step outside and go update our families? Has anyone thought to call the McLoughlins' house to see if Ma and Pa are back yet? Or Mark's family? Mine?" The men looked startled again, and Mark shook his head. I sighed. "I guess we can call them after we see the babies, but I am going to bug you until you call everyone. That includes our friends, by the way." I crossed my arms, absolutely serious.

The doctor chuckled. "So the sensible one is the patient. Good ta hear. Okay let's move these blankets down a little. And lift this shirt, there we go. Cold gel." The babies didn't like the cold and started kicking wherever he spread it making the doctor chuckle again. "These wee one are quite active, aren't they? How far along are ye?" 

I smiled as I watched the babies kicking. "Well, my last appointment, the doctor told me she thought I was about nine weeks then, and that was almost seven weeks ago, so almost sixteen weeks?"

He smiled and started the examination. A minute later an image appeared on the screen, making my heart swell with joy. The babies were all there, safe and moving around. They looked like they were dancing. "Hmm. These babies look a bit further along then sixteen weeks. When was yer last period?"

I thought back. "Um, I had one in September, but it was kind of short and light. I kind of wondered how I could be four months pregnant when I had one then."

The doctor chuckled. "It probably wasn't really a period, just some spotting, which is fairly common. When before that one? August? July?"

I looked at the guys, thinking. Jack looked at me. "Uh, I think she had one in July. I don't remember August." He looked over at Mark. "But we used protection like, all the time."

The doctor smiled kindly. "That isn't one hundred percent effective. Now, these babies all look quite healthy, but I would say ye probably conceived in tha middle o' July, not September, or late August. I think ye are closer ta twenty weeks than fifteen." I looked down at my baby belly. It explained why the morning sickness started before I even got the confirmation from the doctor and why I suddenly was popping out so far, I guess. And my babies were healthy. I looked at the screen, smiling. Suddenly one of the babies turned slightly and I grinned. We had at least one little girl! She had turned so she was facing where the wand was and it was lined up so we had a clear view. I pointed it out to Mark and Jack, who turned to stare wonderingly at the screen. Jack's grip on my hand tightened and I could see the love and joy in his face. Mark was partly hidden from my view, but I hoped he was similarly happy. Suddenly, he got up and came over behind me, lifting my head slightly and sitting down, putting my head in his lap, being extra careful of the wires and leads attached to me and the machines above and behind me. When he got me settled, he leaned down and kissed me, before going back to staring at the screen in awe. The doctor chuckled. "All settled now, gentlemen? Shall we see how many more wee lassies are in there, or if ye have some little lads as well?" We all nodded, to emotional to speak. The doctor moved the wand over to the next baby, who was also a girl. She appeared to be waving to us, her little hand opening and closing as we watched. Jack waved back, without even thinking about it and blushed when he saw what he was doing. I squeezed his hand. The doctor moved over to the other side of my giant belly, finding another baby. This one was had their legs closed, almost modestly and it was a little hard to tell the gender, until suddenly she moved as well. Three girls. I knew that meant the fourth was probably also a girl, but I still wanted to see. When the doctor moved to the last baby she was facing the wand and punched at it, feeling the pressure and movement. I giggled. The doctor confirmed all the babies were healthy and growing quite well before offering us not only pictures, but a video of the ultrasound, which we gladly accepted. I was smiling back and forth between Jack and Mark. Our babies were safe.

Jack looked at me. "What are ye thinking, lass? Ye seem happy, but I want ta be sure. I'm over tha damn moon, we're having little girls."

I smiled hugely at him. "I was just thinking the last little one must have been listening to you talk to them a lot. I swear she tried to punch the camera. It was very you." 

Mark laughed behind me. "Oh my god. You are so right. A mini boss in the making!" He played with my hair, smiling down at me for a few minutes, his smile slowly fading to a serious face. "Babe, you still need to do something about your heart. How are we going to fly home?" 

A new doctor had just walked in and cleared her throat. "Actually, that's what I'm here ta talk ta ya about. Do ya want these two men here for this, or do ya want ta ask them ta leave? We need ta discuss options and personal details, that I don't know if ya want ta share with everyone just yet."

I looked at the two suddenly scared and serious faces. I made a decision. "Mark, baby, I hate to ask this, but can you go start calling our families, please? I promise, we won't decide anything without you here, but we really need to let them know. I do want at least one of you to stay, though, so Jack please stay. You tend to be a little calmer, at least lately. And you keep me calm too. I'm so sorry Mark."

He gave me a tight smile and kissed me as he extracted himself from behind me and stood up. "Babe, I understand. Actually, I think this might be smart. I'm not feeling to emotionally steady right now. I'll go start calling. Be back in a few."

I watched him go with sad eyes. Jack leaned down and hugged me before shifting positions so he could snuggle and comfort me. I smiled a little at him and looked over at the doctor, my face turning serious. "Okay, go ahead. What are my options? And what can I do to make sure the babies stay safe? They are my top priority right now."

The doctor smiled at me, a true smile, and said "It's not as bad as we first feared. Tha defect has gotten a little larger, but it's still tiny. Our main concern is tha virus ya had last spring appears ta have been dormant instead of being completely killed and is active again from tha strain of tha pregnancy. No surgery will be needed. Tha defect has cause a microtear, but tha entire tear of tha heart muscle is less than a half a millimeter across. Now we have antivirals we can give ya, but some of them would be dangerous to tha babies. If you want we can try ya on a weaker, safe medicine and see if that at least helps slow tha virus, however that could lead ta permanent heart damage if it doesn't slow it down. Also, we can't guarantee ya won't need tha stronger medicine before tha babies are born. Ya will still need ta be monitored with a portable monitor at home, but we can release ya as soon as we have a treatment plan in place and ya promise not ta be alone at anytime for more than a few minutes at a time. Ya can use tha bathroom in privacy, but maybe have someone nearby when ya shower." 

I nodded. "Of course I promise." I looked at Jack. "Can you go get Mark, please. The doctor is right here and I think he needs to be here while we decide. I know what I'm inclined to do, but I need your input and his too. It effects both of you just as much as me, or nearly so. Thank you, sweetheart." I kissed him on the cheek as he moved away to go find Mark. I looked back at the doctor as soon as he was out the door. "Now tell me the risks and benefits of the stronger medicine please. Don't pull any punches, I need to have all the information."

She smiled at me. "Smart woman. Okay, tha first stronger medicine I would try has been known ta cause birth defects like brain damage and malformation of fetal limbs. It would kill tha virus in a matter of a week, almost with one hundred percent chance of success. Tha chance of damage ta the babies is about one in fifty, so it's not too bad, but again, it has some pretty harsh defects that it can cause. Tha second medicine would be less strong, only having about a eighty percent chance of completely killing tha virus and ya would need to be on it for about a month. Tha chances of it causing birth defects is about one in twenty five, and longer exposure increases those odds to closer ta one in fifteen. It can cause fetal organ failure, premature birth, and fetal death. Tha third medicine I can give ya is completely safe for tha babies and ya will have ta take it until they are born, possibly longer. It is very unlikely ta kill tha virus, but it will weaken it ta allow ya ta get tha babies out safely until ya can take something else." 

I swallowed. My babies were all perfect and perfectly healthy so far. I wanted to keep them that way. Jack and Mark walked in, seeing me lost in thought, staring at my baby belly intently. The came over and sat down on the bed, pulling me into a group hug. I gave them a small, tight smile. "Thanks for coming back. I was talking to the doctor about the side effects of the different medicines and I think I know what my choice is, but you guys need to decide and tell me if I'm making the right call. Please. I vote for the safe medicine, for the girls sakes. I can't stand the thought of one of them getting hurt or dying because I took something." A tear slid down my cheek, as I looked at the spot where my babies were again.

The doctor motioned the two men to the doorway and held a brief whispered conversation with them, explaining the risks and benefits of each drug. They came back when she was done and sat down on either side of me, resting hands on the babies. I looked at them trying to see what they were thinking, but unable to guess. Finally, Jack spoke up. "I think ye're right. Go on tha weaker medicine and we will watch ye like a hawk until tha babies get here. Then ye are taking the stronger medicine for a week and killing this thing once and for all, all right, love? We need ye as much as tha babies do." 

I looked at Mark. "Yeah, I agree. It's the best choice here right now." He stood up and walked back out of the room without another word, his hand running through his hair making it stand straight up again. 

I looked at the doctor. "Okay then. The safe medicine it is. Oh, and can I still fly safely, or will this cause complications?"

The doctor smiled as she wrote something down. "Ya should be fine ta fly for a few more weeks at least, maybe a month. I wouldn't fly long distances after that." She called the nurse's station and had them bring a medication for me and the discharge papers. "If ya start ta have another panic episode? Seek immediate medical help, if ya can't calm down. That will trigger more problems and could lead ta a heart attack."

I swallowed and nodded, snuggling close to Jack. He patted my shoulder as he looked down at me, smiling a little. The nurse came in with my pill, some juice, and my discharge papers which the doctor filled out and signed. I took the medicine and drank the juice. The doctor looked up at me. "One other note here. Ya need ta be drinking more. Ya're dehydrated. Tha babies are taking a lot of water, vitamins and nutrients. Make sure ya drink more. And I mean a lot more, starting now." She finished filling in the paperwork and handed Jack two sheets of paper. "These are prescriptions for her. One is for tha heart medicine and tha other is for a monitor to use at home. She has ta wear it all tha time, and have tha results sent ta someone's smartphone or email. Ya can leave it on silent if ya set it to alarm on yar phone instead." She looked at me and my chart one last time. "One more piece of advice and medical device I suggest ya get. A wheelchair. Walking around is straining yar heart as well right now. Ya can sit and lay down, but ya really shouldn't be exercising or walking about."

I looked at Jack who looked guilty and I suddenly realized why. "Um, what about sex? I mean if we are gentle and all?"

The doctor looked at me and grinned. "That's actually okay because it will relax ya. At least for now." She winked at me. Jack blushed scarlet. "Here, take this ta tha hospital pharmacy as well. They'll get ya a wheelchair ta take with ya. Good luck lass! Nice ta meet ya. Bye." She left at a fast walk after handing another paper to Jack. I sat up and kissed him.

"I knew you were worried about last night, that's why I asked about sex, sweetie. I think the doctor thought I meant I was in the mood though now, so she wanted to give us some space alone." I laughed, hugging the still blushing Jack. 

He leaned over and kissed my forehead. "Thanks love. I was worried about that. Now let's go get Mark, get yer stuff, and go back ta my parents house." A nurse came in with a wheelchair to release me into Jack's care and we wheeled out. I rested my hands over the babies, clutching the sonogram images and DVD. Jack pushed me along, my paperwork and prescription orders in the back of the wheelchair on a clipboard. We found Mark on the phone and he smiled at us, surprised, and handed the phone to me.

"Hello?"

"Oh my god, you're okay? Dude, Mark about killed me. I thought you were like, dead or something, because he wouldn't put you on the phone and he was really upset. What happened?"

"Dan, I'm okay. The virus that attacked my heart never got completely knocked out. It's back and I had a panic attack which made my heart worse and I had to come get things checked out. I promise, I'm fine. We'll be home the day after Christmas, and you can see for yourself then. Be warned, the babies are getting really big though. I'm huge. And I'm going back to Jack's family's house now. We just have to stop and get some prescriptions, a wheelchair, and a heart monitor."

Dan chuckled for a second then stopped. "Wheelchair? Why? Did you hurt yourself in your panic attack?"

"It's just a few bumps and bruises from when I fainted. Actually, I need the wheelchair because I'm further along in the pregnancy than the doctors originally thought and walking around, getting up and down from furniture, and hauling these four babies around is putting added strain on my heart. So, yeah, wheelchair for me for a while, until they make me stay in bed all the time. The good news is I'm almost halfway done with pregnancy, or I would be if this were a normal one. Pregnancies with multiples like this are usually considered successful at thirty weeks, not forty, and I'm at twenty according to the new ultrasound. We got pictures and a video, which I think will be going up on my channel today, after we get home."

I could hear Dan smiling as he spoke next. "That's amazing babe. Listen I've got to go. I'm sorry you had a scare and I'm really glad your okay. I'll pass the message on to Arin and Suzy too. See you in a few weeks. Bye!"

"Thanks Dan! Bye." With that we disconnected. Mark was smiling and helping Jack push me. The were holding hands and pushing me with their other hands, leaning into each other and watching me. It was adorable and heart warming. I leaned back. "Thanks guys, for putting up with all my drama. I really don't mean to cause all these issues, but..." I trailed off and shook my head. "Anyway, thank you. And Mark, who was next to call? Did you get in touch with your family or mine? Wade, Bob, Felix, or Ken?"

Mark shook his head. "Um, I tweeted that you were in the hospital again a little while ago and Dan called me, kind of panicked. I called Jack's parents house, but no one answered." 

I looked at Jack. "What's Susan's number? We need to call there. Your mother and father were supposed to be there last night. They were going to try to get her to come meet me today." I paused. "Oh, god. Alison was going to come over as well. You better call her too and see if everything is okay."

Jack nodded and pulled out his phone, stepping back to let Mark take over pushing me alone. I looked up at him. "Uh, I hate to ask, but where are we going?"

I giggled. "To the hospital pharmacy, to get my medicine and the equipment the doctor prescribed. Just follow the signs, unless you need me to give you your phone back to map it?" I pointed. 

Mark grinned at me. "Smart ass. I just didn't know where I was pushing you. What about after that? Where to then?" 

I smiled. "Home, or Jack's parents' house anyway."

"So you're released, just like that?" I nodded. "Good."

Jack met back up with us at the pharmacy and we headed for the car after switching wheelchairs. I insisted I could stand up long enough to do it on my own, but Mark lifted me out and Jack switched chairs before Mark set me back down in the new chair. It was much more comfortable and I settled back. Mark and Jack pushed me down to the car and Mark lifted me in once more, while Jack folded up the chair and put it in the trunk. Than he climbed in next to me and cuddled me as Mark drove us back. I asked Jack if he had gotten ahold of everyone, and he told me I had been absolutely right about where they were. Everyone was headed back to Ma's and Pa's now. I settled back and just snuggled Jack again, feeling sleepy and before long I was asleep once more.


	53. Jack's Sisters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to meet Jack's sisters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was the chapter that was supposed to be going up yesterday (sort of, had to change it to adjust to the new chapters and plot change). 
> 
> Sorry, well, not really, for the sudden change of direction with the plot. I promise though, no more major twists for at least a few chapters. The rest of the trip to Ireland will be drama free and plenty of fluffy times (maybe even some sexy times too). Actually, I think probably not a lot of drama until after they get back to California in mid-to-late January. So buckle in for the fluff train! Whoo Whoo. *Train noises*

I woke up just before we got to Jack's parents' house. Jack smiled at me. "Feeling any better love? Ye look a bit less exhausted and more perky. Ye still look tired though." He leaned over and kissed me. "But ye always look gorgeous, cute as a button, and sexy as hell." I smiled up at him, feeling love flowing from him to me and the babies. "Yer so strong, I still can't believe it. Ye are handling everything so well. Mark and I were talking about it while ye slept. We're almost wrecked, just watching all tha struggles ye are having ta deal with. Please, let us help ye more, we are worried about ye." He had tears in his eyes as he said this last part, making me reach up and caress his cheek, cupping his jaw in my hand as Mark turned to go up the driveway. 

"Jack, sweetheart, I'm okay. I am going to let you and Mark take care of me more though. Actually, I, um, really, really need to get to a bathroom, like immediately, when we park. Can you please get the wheelchair ready? The babies are right on my bladder and kicking, making this kind of urgent."

Jack smiled. "Of course, love. Just let us handle it and don't ye move. Ye can sit up, but that's all." I nodded and leaned in for another kiss, taking my time. 

Mark watched through the mirror, a faint smile on his face. He parked and jumped out, as did Jack, to grab my wheelchair and get it set up. Jack grabbed the paperwork, heart monitor, sonogram images, and DVD from the back as well, shoving it all in the top of my open purse, except the monitor, which he held as he grabbed the handles of the chair holding it steady as Mark lifted me out of the car into it. Then he raced over to the front door and opened it while Mark wheeled me in. I was practically squirming in my seat, so I yelled out to everyone in the living room as we past a quick apology, telling them I had to get to a bathroom. Mark pushed me in and I stood up, pulling my skirt and underwear down, sitting back down on the toilet to take care of business. Jack stepped over with the monitor, which he and Mark hooked me up to, lifting my shirt up to attach the leads and tape them in place, making me notice the large, ugly bruises I had there for the first time. Once they were done and I was finished, Mark lifted me up from the toilet and Jack pulled my skirt and undies back into place. I blushed a little and thanked them. Mark set me back in the chair and wheeled me to the sink to wash my hands before pushing me out to the living room where everyone was waiting.

Once we got out there, Mark lifted me out of the wheelchair once more to set me on the center couch cushion before he and Jack sat down. The heart monitor, which was almost the same size as a large cell phone, was in my pocket, set to send the signal to our computers, phones, and my doctors emails. Jack had programmed it as we walked back from the bathroom. Both men sat down next to me, Mark on my left, and Jack on my right. I immediately leaned into Mark, snuggling into his warmth and sexy spicy smell. Jack leaned over and kissed me before looking at his family. I glanced over, still cuddled into Mark's side, but didn't say anything yet. The concerned stares of Ma, Pa, Susan, Simon, and a man I had to assume was Paul, Susan's husband, met me, making me feel oddly shy. I buried my face in Mark's side, trying to hide. Mark chuckled quietly and lifted his arm, putting it around me and drawing me in closer. Jack, who had been watching me, smiled as well and turned back to his family. "We're back. Sorry for tha scare. [Y/N]'s heart condition, tha one we found out about when I had my little box incident last spring, has gotten a little worse, and tha damn virus that had her weak on her pins for a while never fully got killed like we thought. Anyway, she had a panic attack when she woke up this morning and found no one here. Mark and I didn't realize nobody else was home, so we went inta town for a few things we needed and forgot ta leave a note. When she couldn't reach us, tha poor lass started panicking. We are normally really good about replying ta texts and ALWAYS answer when she calls, and we didn't because for some reason, we had no signal. So when we got home, she was so panicked she passed out right as we opened the door, literally collapsing as we watched. We couldn't wake her, so we took her ta tha hospital. They checked her out, especially tha babies, since she bruised herself up pretty badly, but gave her a mostly clean bill of health, except for tha heart issues, which they were checking inta more after we told them her medical history. They had to thump her chest a few times, ta get her heart rhythm back ta normal. They gave her some medicine, a heart monitor, and told her no more walking, minimal standing, and not ta be alone at all until tha babies get here." He looked at me again. I looked back at him, peeking out from Mark side to mouth a thank you. He smiled. "She's okay though. Tha heart thing is a little more complicated, but she's on medicine and has a monitor that will alert us and her doctors if her heart starts skipping too badly. I'm just so relieved she's okay, and tha babies are safe. Oh, by tha way, she's actually a little further along than we knew, about a month further, in fact, from what tha doctor could tell today."

Mark was looking down at me the whole time Jack was explaining things, gently resting his free hand (the one not wrapped around me, hugging me close) on the babies, just gently rubbing, making the babies turn and roll towards him. I smiled, knowing he could feel it too. It was comforting and keeping me calm, which was something I desperately needed right now. Before long, I was able to release my grip on Mark a little and shift so I wasn't so buried in his side, just snuggling, instead of trying to hide. I even turned to face everyone. "Sorry, I always feel a little sick after a panic attack and the guys can tell you, sometimes it makes me clingy and shy. I'm starting to get back to normal though." I sighed. "Hello, Susan, sorry to meet you face to face under such extreme circumstances. And are you Paul? Hello."

Paul smiled at me. "Hi. And don't worry about how ye are meeting us. We're just glad ye are okay. Jack's been talking about ye so much, as have Ma and Pa, we feel like we already know ye, right dear?"

Susan smiled at him. "Yes. Besides, we have talked, ye and I, a fair few times in the past lass. I know ye aren't a drama queen. So relax. Ye need ta stay calm for my little nieces or nephews in there."

I smiled broadly. "Nieces. All four of them are girls. Jack, sweetie, can you grab my purse now?" 

Jack laughed. "Why don't we just show them tha video? I'll pop it in, ye wait here. I'll bring tha sonogram images too though if ye want." He looked at me, while I decided. I nodded, wanting to see them again myself, smiling slightly as I rubbed my tummy beside where Mark's hand was. I felt one of the babies shift and stretch under me, following the gentle movements. 

Mark grinned at me. "They really like that, don't they babe?" He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek before whispering into my ear "I'm so glad you're okay and we could find a way to keep everybody safe. I just hope it works. You still have a long way to go before we can see these little cuties and I worried for you." He kissed my hair and sat back up, looking a little sad. I smiled up at him, as encouragingly as I could.

I whispered back, "I know Mark, and I'm going to do everything I can to keep them safe. Including letting you and Jack do a lot more for me. I'll try to be patient, so please know if I snap at you, it's out of frustration that I feel so helpless about all this, not because I'm really mad, hate you, or anything like that, no matter what I say. I'm so sorry you guys got stuck with a woman who has health issues. I feel like you two deserve better." I looked down, fighting negative emotions and tears.

Mark leaned back in., cupping my chin to draw my face up. "[Y/N], no, stop it. Don't do that to yourself. We understand. We feel helpless too. This is out of all our control. You are exactly who we want and love. No more of that." He pulled me closer for a hug. "I want you around for the rest of my life, at least. I know Jack feels the same way." He looked over at Jack's family, who were watching with smiles on their faces. He chuckled slightly, letting me go back to the snuggling position and resting his hands on the babies again. "Now that I've made a complete idiot of myself in front of Jack's relatives, let's focus on something else." He paused, racking his brain for another topic of conversation. "I got nothing though. Damn."

Paul laughed. Susan was smiling at us and lightly smacked her husband's shoulder. "Paul, stop it. That was very sweet Mark. Ye and Jack are amazing with her, and she is a treasure. Ye picked a really good one. Now, where is Jackaboy with those pictures of my nieces? I can't wait ta see them! Four little babby girls! Oh, it's going ta be grand. And ye are going ta be seeing a load of pink frillyness Mark, be warned."

I laughed. "I don't think he'll mind, right Markimoo? We can decorate the nursery with Warfstaches, Tiny box Tims, and SepticEye Sams. Actually, I can paint some art for the room and make stencils so you two can go wild once we find a house. I think that's going to be moved way up the priority list now, especially since I'm stuck sitting and laying around so much. At least I can still work. The TV show might be a little tricky, but I think we can work it out. Maybe they can work me in later in the season?" I looked over at Mark.

He was grinning and shaking his head. "Babe, work can wait a little. And I agree, we should find a house right away when we get back to LA. A good big one, a little bit away from the center of town, maybe close to the apartments you're in now, with a yard, and room to grow. Some place we can invite all our friends and family to, although maybe not all at the same time. You and Jack have a LOT of family." I grinned at him. "Somewhere Chica can run around, and maybe we can get her a friend?"

I nodded. "Sure babe, a pet names Steve, perhaps?"

Jack walked in and doubled over laughing when he heard that. Mark blushed and laughed along with him. I looked over at Jack's family who looked confused. "Chica is Mark's dog. He has a running joke on his channel about a pet named Steve." They grinned, understanding dawning on their faces. A minute later I heard a noise from down the hall that sounded like children playing. I looked over at Susan. "Did you bring your kids?"

Susan shifted a little and blushed. "Yeah. We sent them back ta play. We didn't want ta overwhelm ye when ye first came in, or freak them out if ye looked too sick, or anything like that. Do you want ta meet them?" Mark and I nodded eagerly.

The kids were brought out and introduced to us. They were excited to see their Uncle Jack and his new girlfriend and boyfriend. They even wanted to meet the babies and say hi to them before they went back to the game they were playing down the hall. I looked over at Susan, smiling. "They are adorable Susan. You and Paul have great kids."

Paul laughed. "Yeah, we are pretty lucky, but they can be little terrors too. They have a bottomless supply of energy I think, at least sometimes."

Mark and I traded looks and laughed. "Just like Jack. And actually [Y/n], well, normally anyway. She can run circles around Jack. We have no idea how. Even pregnant with four babies, she still has more energy everyday than most people, unless she is feeling really sick."

Jack was smiling. "It's true. I can't believe how much she can get done and still not be tired. She was doing the jobs of tha three people she trained before she left, her YouTube channel, managing an entire department at work, and adding herself ta tha TV show for next season. And cooking for us, hosting parties sometimes, creating animations, and keeping Mark and I in line." He grinned at me. "She only trained tha three new people because she finally admitting since she was pregnant that she needed a little help. We keep them busy, so I still am not sure how she managed all that alone."

Ma and Susan grinned at me, while Pa shook his head, and Paul started, open mouthed. He opened and closed his mouth several times before he finally said "Whoa. Jeez, no wonder Susan was impressed with ye! I thought Jack had boundless energy. When do ye find tha time ta sleep?"

Jack and I grinned at each other, thinking the same thing. Susan groaned. "Don't say it, please, for tha love of god! I am so sick of hearing ye shout that damn catchphrase!" We all laughed, especially Jack and I. "Anyway, back ta tha baby pictures. Can I please see them now?" She made grabby hands at the images Jack had handed me. Jack stood back up and walked over to the TV, putting the DVD in the slot and turning it on. 

"Nope. Watch this instead, sis. I am going ta put it on loop, so we can all watch it anytime all day. Is everybody okay with that? Honestly, Mark, [Y/N], and I could probably just stare at it until we wore tha disc out." He smiled at Mark and I, coming back over to sit down and snuggled into my side, leaning on me a little, even as I was leaned into Mark. 

I moved my arms from under me and hugged Jack in closer, leaving them wrapped around him. Mark moved his right arm to wrap both of us in a one armed hug. Jack sighed happily and rested both his hands on my baby bump and leaned forward, kissing it gently. I looked over at the TV and watched my babies, enthralled. Everyone was watching the video, listening to the beats of the babies heats and movements of the fluids as the babies moved. It was incredible and we were hooked. Conversation stopped for the most part until we had all watched it at least five times all the way through. I turned back to Jack, tears in my eyes, before whispering to him, and Mark "God, they are just so perfect. I'm so scared I'm going to fuck this up somehow. I just want to keep them safe." Jack sat up a little and moved in for a proper hug, pulling me closer, slightly away from Mark's side. Mark leaned over to make it a group hug and I silently cried into Jack's shoulder for a few seconds, but he didn't seem to mind.

"We know ye want ta keep them safe love. We do to. And we want ta keep ye safe too. Ye scared tha shit out of us today."

I sniffled into Jack shoulder as Mark rubbed my back, soothing me. Jack refused to let me go from the hug he had me wrapped in, tightening his grip when I started to pull back. "I'm sorry. I know you guys are worried. And I didn't mean to cry on you. I got your shirt all wet."

Jack chuckled. "Somehow, I think I'll survive." We were keeping our voices down, and had honestly forgotten anyone else was here until Ma spoke up.

"Lass, ye are sensible, but everyone has a breaking point. I think ye need some down time soon. I had hoped yesterday would help, but I thought ye looked like ye were too strained tha other day. I want ye ta just rest there with Jack and Mark today. Let everyone else take care of ye for a change. Don't even think about telling anyone what ta cook, or how. Relax and take care of those babbies and yerself."

Jack smiled over at her. "Thanks Ma. We keep telling her that, but she's stubborn. She has promised ta let us do more, but..." he looked at me "I think she forgets."

I looked down. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door before it opened and Jack's other sister, Alison came rushing in. She looked worried, stressed , and rushed, but she visibly relaxed when she saw Jack, Mark, and me on the couch, snuggled together. "Oh god. Ye're alright. Ye scared tha shite outta me! What happened? All I got was a rushed voicemail from Jack as I was driving over here."

I looked at Jack. He blushed a little and explained everything yet again. Alison relaxed a lot more and looked around the room for the first time since she rushed in, her eyes resting on the images on screen. She stared, engrossed. Jack beamed. "Like our daughters? This is tha video we got today. They are getting so big." He leaned over and used his deeper voice, leaned close to my belly, making me shiver slightly, as always. "Aren't ye girls? Be good for yer momma now." I felt a myriad of kicks in response and laughed. 

"Jack, I think the babies like that voice as much as the fangirls. You should feel all the kicks! And two of them rolled over toward you while you were talking like that."

Mark laughed, leaning down. He used his deeper than normal voice close to my tummy on the other side, making the babies kick again and the two close to him turn toward the sound. I shivered as he spoke. "So you girls like it when Daddy talks like that, huh? How about when Papa talks like this? Yes, I think you do. Your momma likes it too." I smiled at him as he straightened and kissed him. Jack grinned as well and I turned, kissing him next.

"Enough of that. It feels really strange. I would rather not have dueling daddies talking to my tummy and babies rolling around inside me all afternoon." I rubbed my stomach gently, trying to calm the kicks. "Easy there girls. Be good for mommy and go to sleep, please? Mommy could really use some calm, restful, quiet time from you. Thank you." They stopped kicking for a little while as I talked to them.

The guys grinned. Alison laughed, having stopped watching the TV long enough to see the whole thing. She had come in and sat down in the chair across the room from the rest of the family, simply because it was closer and open, so she could see the video better, but because of this, she was closer to the couch where we were than everyone else. "Jack, she's good. She's going ta be a great mother. Good job, Jackaboy. Ye finally got a gem."

I blushed, as did Jack as he gave me a squeeze and nodded. Mark leaned close to my ear and whispered to me. "She's absolutely right." Then he kissed my hair again and straightened up. 

We chatted most of the day, Ma and Susan heading to the kitchen to make us all lunch, until mid-afternoon, when I decided I really needed a nap. I was yawning quite a bit, and I could see Jack and Mark getting ready to say something, so I beat them to it. "Mark, Jack, Can one of you two strong, handsome gentlemen please take your extremely tired and very pregnant girlfriend back to the bedroom for a nap? I'm beat, sorry everyone. Oh, and can one of you grab the DVD? I don't think anyone else is still watching it and I want to upload it to my channel while I nap."

Everyone waved me off, wishing me a good rest. Jack lifted me gently into the wheelchair while Mark grabbed the DVD. Mark turned to everyone else in the room. "Um, I think I'm going to lay down with her. The stress is getting to me, and I want to make sure she sleeps. Jack what about you?"

Jack grinned and nodded "Yeah. Me too. See ye later, everyone. Susan, Paul, Alison, are ye going ta be here for dinner?"

They nodded and I smiled at everyone one last time before an enormous yawn over took me and Jack pushed me down the hall to our pillow and blanket fort. We cuddled up together under the blankets and I set the video to render. I was shocked when it pinged it was ready only five minutes later, so I uploaded it for immediate release along with a thumbnail of my baby bump and the title, 'Our babies, the first ultrasound video'. Than I put the computer to sleep and handed it to Mark to set aside and curled into Jack's side, getting more comfy. As soon as Mark had moved the computer, he rolled over to snuggle in as close to my back as he could, spooning me from behind. I sighed contentedly and Jack wrapped an arm around both of us before we all drifted off to sleep.

When we woke up, Susan's and Paul's kids were staring at us. I smiled sleepily at them and rubbed my eyes. Jack grinned. "So, what are ye lot up ta?"

One of the little ones, I forget which one, answered. "Uncle Jack, Momma sent us in ta see if ye were awake. How come ye've got a fort and didn't tell us? We want tak play in it too." They pouted slightly.

Jack laughed. "Sorry. Aunt [Y/N], Uncle Mark, and Uncle Jack get this pillow and blanket fort all to themselves. We needed a nap because we had a rough day. Now go tell yer momma we're coming, okay? See ye in a few minutes."

I snuggled into Jack side for a minute, enjoying the warmth and comfort. "Do we really have to get up now? I'm sooo comfy."

Mark chuckled. "Yep. You need to eat more and the doctor said you definitely aren't drinking enough, remember? So up you get. Roll over, towards me, babe. I can't quite reach you from there." I groaned and obeyed. 

Mark carried me to the wheelchair and we headed to the bathroom to wash up, before heading to the kitchen. Someone had moved one of the chairs away, leaving an open spot for Mark to park me, right between chairs for Jack and himself. I smiled when I saw the kids table next to the fridge, reminding me off all the get-togethers my family had. The kids saw me looking and waved. I waved back and heard one of them lean over and ask why I was in a wheelchair. I spoke up "Because I have a heart condition and the babies are making it hard to get around. There are four of them in here and my tummy is going to get even bigger soon, so the doctors want me to stay sitting down or laying down all the time now." The little one grinned and went back to eating.

Mark smiled at me, patting my belly. "Now, what do you want to drink, babe? Water, tea, juice, soda?"

"Just water for now. Maybe a glass of juice later. Thanks Mark." He got up to get my drink and came back with two glasses. One of apple juice and one of water. I smiled. Jack came over with two plates, one for him and one for me before sitting down. "Thanks Jack. This looks wonderful." I addressed the last comment to everyone else at the table, not knowing who had cooked. Ma, Alison, and Susan beamed.

Conversation flowed easily over the course of the meal and before long, Susan and Paul decided they had to go, to get the kids in bed on time. We wished them goodnight and said our goodbye to the kids. They hugged us all, being careful when they hugged me, and left looking a little sad they had to go. They perked up a bit when we told them we would see them in a few weeks for Christmas and left with smiles. We waved to everyone until they were out of sight and conversation resumed. By eight o'clock though, Alison admitted she needed to leave as well. Her drive was fairly long, and she had some things she needed to address at home. We wished her goodbye as well, telling her we would see her at Christmas. After that it was just Ma, Pa, and Simon, who excused himself a few minutes later, not giving an explanation. 

Ma looked at us. "Ye all should go back and rest some more. Ye still look wrung out. Now scoot. Pa and I aren't doing anything wild and exciting tonight, and we can entertain ourselves. Ye need the rest."

I agreed quickly, but Jack looked unsure for a minute. Then he shrugged. "Alright, if [Y/n] is that tired and ye don't mind. I just feel guilty for coming all this way and barely seeing ye."

Ma and Pa waved us off. Mark pushed me back to bed again. Jack lifted me onto the bed and I grabbed my laptop, snuggling my men as they settled around me. This time, Jack was spooning my back and Mark was laying facing me, slightly supporting my stomach as I lay on my side and he lay somewhat under me. The guys grabbed their phones and we all logged on to social media, checking our channels, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr. My channel was exploding with well wishes and comments about how adorable the babies already were and how much people couldn't wait to see them when they got here. Twitter was the same. I smiled and showed Mark. He grinned and said he was getting a lot of congratulatory messages too. Jack said the same. I checked a few other things and noticed both men had not only linked to my video, tweeted about it, and commented on it, but they had both taken the sonogram pictures and uploaded them to Instagram. I smiled and signed out of everything for the night, once more shutting my computer down and handing it over for Jack to move away so I could sleep. I fell asleep very soon after, dreaming about the girls and all the wonderful comments and support from all our fanbases.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FUCK MY COMPUTER!! Seriously. I have lost yet another almost completed chapter because it crashed.
> 
> *Deep breaths* Okay. Sorry for that. IF the chapter is late, that why. I am still answering comments from my phone, so that's why they are getting quick responses, usually. I really need to get a new computer, as soon as I can afford it. :'( So stuck with this POS for now. 
> 
> Oh, and I posted a comment with the names of two of the babies, I think, so I would love feedback. Still have two unnamed little girls though, so thoughts? And if anyone absolutely hates the names I picked let me know (and maybe why). They are not set in stone yet, but I really like them (actually, Stephanie Eileen was almost my name -- Eileen is a family name -- we have a load of Irish heritage [My grandmother's name was Mary Eileen McGee until she got married] and I like Samantha Alanna [also a traditional Irish name, well the middle name anyway, Samantha maybe not so much] because of the initials and the way it flows well with Jack's last name.) I am considering Danielle, Dani, Daniella, Tamera /Tamora /Tamina /Tammy(i?), Timanda, Tina, and Timothea /Timara.


	54. Coping?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our lovely reader is struggling with some self doubt and the past is haunting her.

We spent the next three days not really doing much except resting, watching the video of our little girls, and catching up on social media. I recorded a vlog as well, explaining to my fans why I was in the wheelchair, reassuring them I was being very careful and the babies and I were fine. I decided to record a second vlog on the third day, just because I was bored. I made it a thank you to the fans, reading some of the positive comments I had gotten and the love from the community. I also told everyone about the upcoming charity livestream in January for St. Jude's. I told the fans I would be doing a unboxing video, or series of unboxing videos of the wonderful gifts all the fans had been sending for me and the babies. I joked that all the gifts were making my assistant feel extra useful, since I was away and didn't have a lot of videos for her to edit. I also mentioned that any items we got too many of we would be donating to charity, the first batch of which would go to St. Jude's around the time of our livestream event. I made sure I gave full credit to Wade and Molly for organizing most of the event and mentioned Bob, Jack, and Mark would also be there for sure. I signed off and loaded the video to send to Danica to edit. I really wasn't feeling up to even the minimal editing the video needed today. I apologized and thanked Danica as I laid back for yet another nap. 

By the end of the third day though, I told the guys I needed to get out of the house, and if they didn't take me somewhere else, I was going to escape on my own, with or without the wheelchair. I had a serious case of cabin fever, which amused Jack slightly, since we were actually in a cabin, but he promised we could go visit his apartment. He wanted to pack up some more of his stuff to send to America as well, things he had decided to wait on or he had thought he would need when he came back. I was starting to think Jack had decided to move entirely to LA with us, but I was worried he would regret it later, or feel like he was somehow tricked into moving. I knew he loved me and we both loved Mark to distraction, but I was worried that maybe someday things would change and he would become bitter. I knew in my head that was ridiculous, but it was still there, that nagging doubt and fear. I was honestly afraid to talk to Jack or Mark about it, feeling silly and being scared of what exactly? I knew they wouldn't dismiss my feelings or make fun of me. It was just a feeling I couldn't express or explain away. So I bit my lip and waited to see what Jack did when we visited his Athlone home. He warned me it was a long drive, so we planned to spend the night there. I packed a bag for all of us with clothes, medicines, toiletries, and phone charges. I also packed all three of our laptops and chargers into a large laptop bag to take as well, putting both bags by the front door. Ma must have seen how stir crazy I was getting as well, because she made the guys take me outside for a 'walk' before dinner. Really, it was me in the wheelchair and them walking around, pushing we down the path, but it was nice, and the fresh air felt good. Everything smelled of rain and green growing things. It was amazing and completely reminded me of Jack. As the men talked and pushed me along, I looked at everything for a long time, but eventually, I just closed my eyes, listening and breathing in the smells and sounds around me. Pregnancy had definitely changed my sense of smell, sharpening it, making everything more intense. I breathed in the smell of wet woods, the dirt road, the meadows, the flowers, even the animals and farms around us. I could smell Mark and Jack as well, since they were so close. The babies chose the moment when I smelled their fathers to start moving and kicking fiercely. I winced as a tiny hand or foot hit my ribs. Both men, who had been watching me and talking quietly, noticed immediately and came around the sides of the chair at top speed. "Babe, are you okay? Does something hurt? Should we call the doctor?"

I opened my eyes and looked at Mark, smiling reassuringly. "One of our strong little kickboxing daughters either punched or kicked me in the ribs, that's all. I was just listening to the sounds of nature and breathing in the smells, and the babies all woke up, decided to party, and started kicking. It just was a bit painful. I'm alright though."

Neither man looked totally reassured. Jack squatted down and leaned close to my tummy. "Girls, ye are all growing fine in there. That's wonderful. Yer momma, papa, and daddy are all thrilled ta see yer pictures. But ye can't kick yer momma too much. She's got tha job of protecting ye until ye are ready ta face the world. Now, I know ye are all little bosses, like yer daddy and papa, but ye need ta play nice. No fighting. Ye don't have tha room right now. So be good girls and roll back over and go ta sleep for yer momma." He rubbed a hand over my stomach and the girls trailed punches and kicks along wherever he touched.

I laughed. "Nice try Jackaboy. I don't think they are ready to follow daddy's advice yet. Thanks for trying. As long as they stop kicking my ribs though, I'll be fine."

Mark squatted down on the other side of my stomach, addressing the babies. "Girls, Papa here. Time for a nap. Let me sing you a lullaby to help you sleep, but then you have to let your poor momma rest some more, okay?" He looked at me and winked. I smiled at him and he started singing soft and low, Brahms Lullaby. After he sang the first verse, I hummed along, adding my voice to the harmony and gently rubbing soothing patterns on my belly. Jack joined in as well. Soon all three of us were just humming the melody in harmony and rubbing my tummy. The girls calmed down, and I felt them roll once or twice more before going still again. After about five minutes of that, I stopped humming and looked at Jack and Mark. 

"Thanks guys. They are calm now, you can stop if you want." They stopped humming, stilling their hands, but didn't move away or move their hands off my stomach. They looked at each other for a second, leaned in and kissed, then laid kisses on my tummy, before kissing me. When they straightened up, they both walked around behind my wheelchair and pushed me along, turning back to Jack's parents' house. I looked back at them and noticed they were holding hands and stealing kisses back and forth. It was adorable and melted my heart. I was so glad they had each other to lean on as well as me. I was starting to feel like more of a dead weight anchor around their necks than an equal partner. I gave myself a mental shake. Knock it off girl, I mentally told myself. I need to stay strong for the guys and for the babies. The babies needed me. Jack and Mark love me and would be upset if something happened to me. At least, I thought they would. Or would they just be upset that they never got to meet the babies? I was confused and starting to feel a little depressed. When I was cooped up to long, or forced to stay still, not doing my usual million things at a time, I struggled to keep the inner demons at bay. I knew it wasn't entirely a healthy way to cope, but it usually worked, letting me live my life fairly normally. The forced rest of the past three days had left me far too much time to think, something that always brought the insecurities from the past back out. I shivered, trying desperately to shake the glooms. Nothing was working for me though, I just felt more and more useless. I was afraid I couldn't even protect the babies, so what kind of mother was I going to be?

I stared at the ground, not seeing anything as my mental turmoil overwhelmed me. I had even started crying, silent tears slipping down my face, dripping on my shirt, without noticing. Jack noticed first and stopped pushing the chair, rushing around to look at me. "Love, what's wrong?"

I sniffled a little and suddenly Mark was standing in front of me as well. "[Y/N]?" I sniffled again and suddenly began sobbing for all I was worth, unable to stop myself. Jack leaned forward and hugged me close, unsure what else he could do. Mark started patting my back until he realized it was making me sob harder. The two men looked at each other, confused and unable to find any answers. Finally, Mark stood up taller than usual. "Jack, can you settle her back in the chair and hold her hand the rest of the way? We're almost back and we can figure this out from your parents' house." He bit his lip. "Maybe they'll have an idea of how to help." I was sobbing steadily now, as though I would just cry like this for days. I was starting to get the hiccups from it as well. As soon as we got back to the house, Mark lifted me out of the wheelchair onto the couch, being as gentle as he could. After he set me down, I saw him look at Jack helplessly. Jack sat down next to me and pulled me in for a cuddle. I was still crying, although the sobbing had stopped and I was occasionally hiccuping. Jack kept his arms wrapped tight around me.

Mark still looked lost, but he walked into the kitchen, returning a moment later with an enormous glass of apple juice and making me drink it all. I did, crying the whole time. Jack was rubbing my shoulders and hugging me, trying to calm me down, not knowing my internal struggles. After I drank all the juice, Mark took the glass and returned to the kitchen. I heard him talking quietly to Ma, and they both sounded extremely worried. Of course they were. A lunatic who cried for no apparent reason was tied to them, going to bring four helpless babies into the world and she couldn't even explain what was wrong or why she was crying. I was so, so useless. I buried my face in Jack's side and cried, harder again. Jack leaned over and tried talking to me, but I was so locked in the self doubt and hate cycle my brain had gotten used to as a teenager, I couldn't even hear him. I knew before long, I would probably have a panic attack and pass out, but I wasn't sure if I could stop it. I needed a focus, something clear, and strong and most of all, here, now. Smells. Smells had always helped in the past. I leaned even closer into Jack, inhaling deep shuddering breaths, trying to anchor myself with the smell of the sweet wet woods, that was him. I was never sure how he smelled like baking sugar all the time to me, but he did and it blended with the smells of rain and outdoors to make up the unique fragrance I always knew meant he was here with me. Today, I also smelled his shampoo strongly. It was the shampoo smell that did it. It was a new smell, knocking me out of the familiar and forcing my brain to try to decipher something else. I was able to stop crying and pull myself together, although it did take some time. When I finally was calm again, I lifted my head from Jack and sat up, or tried to. Jack pulled me back down. "Easy love. Ye don't need ta go anywhere yet. Just stay here with Jackaboy and tell me what's wrong. Ye scared Markimoo and I, ye know. Ye looked perfectly happy, then bam, suddenly crying and completely inconsolable. What happened?"

I looked at him and swallowed. My mouth and throat were terribly dry. I felt a large wet patch under my head, where I had been crying into Jack's side. "Can I get a glass of water please? I feel a bit dehydrated." Jack nodded tight lipped and sat me up, promising to be right back. I stared straight ahead, trying to get my brain to focus on what to say without panicking or looping back into depression. Finally, I decided I needed to tell Jack and Mark a few things about my past and just be completely honest. I felt my heart skip several times, painfully. I felt my cell phone buzz. I knew Jack's and Mark's did as well, because they came out at a run. I looked at them, tears, unshed this time, shining in my eyes. "Sorry. I was thinking about something and it got to me. We need to sit down and have a long talk. Soon. But not right now, I need to rest and drink plenty of fluids. I also need to mentally prep for this. Maybe after we get back from visiting Jack's apartment over here?"

Jack crossed his arm. "What can be so bad that ye can't even think about it without having heart issues, love?" He looked suddenly concerned. "This is big isn't it?"

I swallowed and nodded. "It's big, and it's impacted my life in a lot of ways, some of which are probably not very healthy ways for me to do things."

Mark looked at me closely. He sat down and pulled me into a tight hug. "Whatever it is, I'm sure we can handle it, together." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this is so much darker than I had originally thought. And, yeah, I promised some light and fluffy chapters were coming, but to be honest, I realized there really needed to be a little fallout, emotionally from all this upheaval, to keep things somewhat realistic. 
> 
> I swear, happy times are on the way again soon. The visit to Athlone will be a little bittersweet, I think, but then we are going to get a visit from a friend (Felix) before the last McLoughlin sibling and his family show up for Christmas. That will be light-hearted and extra fluffy I promise.
> 
> Also, a name for one of Mark's daughters occurred to me and I might use it instead of Timanda. What does everyone think of Tiana? Like the Disney princess? I could totally see Mark naming a baby girl after a Disney princess.


	55. Athlone *

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We visit Jack's apartment in Athlone for the first time since this whole thing started. Jack makes a decision...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a day later than I wanted to release it. I was updating another story and this was a little hard to write for some reason. I think I had writers block or was obsessing too much about next chapter. 
> 
> And just because I needed it, some hot Septiplier action to kick things off! <3
> 
> _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I was gloomy the rest of the evening and quiet, trying to think how I could talk about my past without having a breakdown or making my heart struggle. Jack and Mark were determined to cheer me up and spent the rest of the day snuggling me, cracking silly jokes, and clowning around. It helped a lot, but I still had the nagging gloomy feeling in the back of my mind. Ma and Pa watched me carefully all evening too, not saying much either way, at least not to me about my earlier behavior. Not long after dinner, the boys hauled me back to the bedroom for an evening of cuddling in our blanket and pillow fort watching cartoons. Mark sat next to me and Jack sat down beside him, leaning over him to rest a hand on my belly, protectively. I noticed it also let them cuddle each other. We were watching cartoons to calm me down. Suddenly, I looked at them. "Guys, I can't tell you how much I love you. I have no words. You have both helped me so much today. I'm so sorry I was a blubbering mess." I looked down at where the babies were currently moving gently. "I would love to just tell you it was all hormones, but there's more to it than that, although I have the feeling the hormones are making me a bit more unstable, emotionally, than I would like." I gave a weak chuckle. "And if the two of you want some time together, it really won't bother me. I am really not feeling up to anything myself, but if you guys want to, don't let me stop you. I might watch." I smiled as I said the last part.

Jack and Mark looked at me, clearly surprised. "Ye won't be mad? I mean we try not ta get too frisky when ye aren't up for it, but there have been times when we..."

I laughed. "Oh, I know. I've seen the looks. I know what you two goobers sneak off to do. And don't think I haven't noticed the hickeys. But guys, not every event has to be all three of us. We all agreed to be with the other two, not keep the other two from having any contact alone." I shook my head. "You don't have to hide it, or try to spare my feelings, or whatever you thought you were doing. There might be times in the future when one of you doesn't feel like joining. It's okay. We still all love each other." I laughed again. "Besides, you two are sexy together. I just am not in the mental zone to join in. Although, watching you might get me there..."

Jack blushed and leaned over Mark to kiss me on the cheek. Mark looked a bit stunned for a few seconds before he too kissed my cheek. "Thanks babe. How did you know we needed this?"

I chuckled. "Well, let's see. You're stressed, your girlfriends a mess, the two of you are practically in each others laps already, and you keep giving each other eye fucks when ever you think I won't see. How would I have ever guessed?"

The guys both winced a little and laughed. "Okay, so not subtle. Got it. And ye really don't mind?"

I shook my head. "Nope. Go for it. Just don't land on me if you get too rowdy. I can't exactly move out of the way very quickly. Tell you what. You two take the bed, I'll lay here on the pillows on the floor and keep watching cartoons, at least until something more interesting is going on. You two cuddling is sweet, but the cartoons are a better distraction."

Jack laughed and pulled Mark up on to the bed behind me. I settled back and concentrated on watching the cartoons for a few minutes, listening to the sounds of Jack and Mark kissing in the background. When the sounds shifted to zippers coming undone and clothes flying, I peeked back at them. They were making out, hotly intent on each other. They had both already removed their shirts and pants, gently grinding on each other as they kissed, feeling up and down each others chests. Whoo, this was a far better show than the cartoons. I switched them off and shifted positions, so I could watch from a more comfortable angle, grinning cheekily at them. Neither one noticed at first, too locked on the other to see anything but them. When Jack hit a particularly sensitive spot on Mark's side he moaned and they broke apart, removing their boxers. Now they were both gloriously naked, hard, and ready. I realized they wouldn't have the lube or condoms they needed within reach, so I grabbed my purse from the end of the bed, pulling things out of a secret compartment. That little travel kit had come in handy on more than one occasion. I held on to it for a few minutes, still watching them. They still didn't notice me, too intent on what they were doing and feeling. Jack reached out and started gently stroking Mark's hard dick, setting a slow, steady pace as he trailed kisses down his chest, stopping to leave the occasional love bite or to focus on a particular spot. As he went, Mark started moaning, deep in his throat. It was incredibly sexy to watch, especially since I knew exactly how those kisses felt. I felt my breathing pick up speed. Mark gasped and bucked a few times when Jack focus on his right nipple, licking, sucking and biting gently. Mark tried to control himself, but it was no good. Jack's other hand reached up and started playing with Mark's other nipple, until they were both hard little bumps, and Mark was bucking and writhing on the bed. Jack smiled a teasing smile and switched sides, focusing his mouth and tongue on Mark's left side and flicking the right with his hand, driving Mark wild. Jack had stopped pumping Mark's dick, which was now leaking precum. Mark groaned out "Jack, please. I need you. Stop teasing me. Oh god, I want you. I need..." He had to stop because Jack had moved again, trailing kisses, licks, and love bites down his chest and stomach, kissing his scar gently as he went, headed ever lower. Mark moaned again, quietly. "Please, Jack. You're driving me crazy babe." 

Jack stopped and looked at Mark, his eyes a lust filled dark blue. "Please what? Mark ye have ta tell me exactly what ye need." His smile looked almost predatory by now. "I have ta hear it. I can make ye beg if ye don't say it." Jack's mouth resumed it's torturous trail ever lower until he got to Mark's penis, where he stopped, circling the base with kisses, before skipping the mail event and heading down Mark's thighs. 

Mark whimpered, whined, and shuddered. He was losing control fast. I smiled, feeling my own lust deepen just from watching and listening. Mark was falling apart at the seems already. I bit back my own moan, trying not to touch myself. I wanted to see if I could get off just by watching the two of them, and so far, I had managed to keep my hands off, but it was getting more difficult. As Jack kissed and licked his way back up Mark's thighs, Mark suddenly bucked, making Jack still. Mark whined deep in his throat. "Jack. Pl-please. I need... I need..." His pupils were blown so wide, they looked completely black. He was starting to shake. He reached for Jack. "P-please, I need to fuck you. I need you to fuck me. I need everything." Jack's smile got wider, but no less predatory. 

Jack started to reach for the bedside table, where we kept the items in my lap at home. I saw his suddenly stymied expression and tossed the kit up to him. He looked startled for a few seconds, then grinned at me. He took the lube out and applied a liberal dose to his cock, adding a condom and more lube. Then he repeated the process for Mark. He looked down at the man, who was a moaning, writhing mess under him for a moment. "Top or bottom Mark? What do ye want today?" 

Mark groaned. "I need you inside me now. God, please. Fuck me into the mattress. I need it so bad. Uhh. Now. Please." Jack rolled off Mark so he could turn over. As soon as he did so, Jack reached down and started fingering Mark's ass, prepping him. Mark hissed at first and then moaned louder, starting to buck in earnest when Jack added a second then third finger and began working him open and curling his fingers slightly to touch Mark's prostate. "Ugh, right there. GOD. I'm so close. I need more. Jack..."

Jack could tell exactly how close Mark really was and he withdrew his hand. Mark whined at the loss of contact, trying to follow the missing sensation. Jack gave Mark's butt a smack. "None of that. Good things come ta those who wait." Jack lined up with Mark's now open hole and started entering him. Mark bucked back, trying to hurry Jack. Jack just leaned down to whisper in Mark's ear a comment I couldn't hear and grabbed the base of Mark's swollen member. Mark groaned and tried to buck again, but had no where to go. Jack kissed Mark's shoulder and suddenly buried himself as deep as he could. Mark shuddered and cried out. Jack set a punishing pace, keeping Mark locked in place with the hand on his cock, also keeping him from cumming.

Mark was continuously moaning or begging Jack to let him cum, just losing his mind completely. Jack sped up even more, until Mark couldn't even do that, just breathing hard and making small gutteral sounds of pleasure. When Jack thought Mark really couldn't take anymore, he let his dick go, giving it a few pumps as he did. Mark cried out, immediately cumming, hard. Jack withdrew and helped Mark roll over. Mark looked down at Jack and licked his lips. "My turn, Jackaboy. The tables have turned now." He reached out and grabbed Jack, surprising him and started kissing and teasing him, working Jack into the state Mark had been in just moments ago, but far, far more quickly. Mark got hard again too. He quickly changed condoms and lubed up, prepping himself and Jack. Jack was whimpering and moaning, louder than Mark had been. Mark sat up, drawing Jack with him and easing him down onto himself. Jack whined and tried to speed up, but Mark held him steady, lowering Jack slowly. Jack's dick was twitching madly and the two men had somehow shifted so they were facing me. It was all I could do not to reach up and start sucking Jack off. I was a complete and utter mess. I moaned, making an audible noise for the first time since the two men had started. Mark heard and looked down at me smiling. "Well, well. Someone else wants to play too. Well, alright. You can sit up and help me." I obeyed without thinking, squirming slightly as I sat up. Mark grinned. "Good girl. Now I want you to suck Jack off, no hands. Do a good job sweetheart. We'll help you next." I whimpered and obeyed, removing the condom and moving over Jack's hard member in one swift motion. He was leaking, a lot, and jumped when I touched him. Mark stopped holding him up and let him settle. A few seconds later Jack started shifting, silently telling Mark to move. Mark obliged. Meanwhile I was licking Jack's dick like a lollipop, focusing most of my attention on the tip and slit. Jack's eyes were closed and he was whimpering continually now, making desperate, needy, sexy sounds that were making me crazy. I was using just my mouth, as Mark had instructed. Jack started to buck into my mouth when I opened up to suck, making me moan, deep in my throat. The vibrations drove Jack mindless. 

Suddenly, Jack was moving, grinding, whining, and begging us for release. "Oh.. Oh... Oh... Please... I- I need. P-please. I n-need..." He tried to draw a deep breath. "I need ye ta move. I need ta cum. It's too much. Oh god. Oh GOD! OH G-G-GOD!!!" His hips started to stutter as we kept working. I sucked for all I was worth, taking as much of him into my mouth as I could, keeping constant steady pressure until I would suddenly open my lips and release him, pulling back so I could lick and suck on just the head again. Jack's voice broke completely and he was constantly shivering, hips stuttering and bucking uncontrollably. I gave one final hard suck and he came in my mouth, hard. I swallowed as much as I could, quickly, continuing to suck until he was done. Mark continued to fuck him from behind, holding Jack up, until he finished as well. Jack suddenly slumped forward, nearly falling into my lap when Mark's arms lost their strength. I pulled Jack down into a tight embrace, off of Mark. It didn't matter that Jack was naked and I was fully clothed, or that I was super pregnant. I just wanted to hold him, so I did, murmuring softly into his ear, gentle sexy noises. Jack grinned tiredly at me and kissed me. "Love, ye planned this, didn't ye? Ye knew ta bring supplies and exactly when to give them over ta me." I nodded, suddenly drawing him in for a deep, hot kiss. He looked slightly dazed when we separated. Then he grinned. "Well, alright then. Time for us ta focus on ye. Lay back down. We'll do all tha work. Come on Markimoo, tha lady needs us." 

Mark groaned tiredly. "Go on without me. I'm done." 

Jack shrugged and gently lifted my hips, taking my skirt and underwear off. He grinned at me. "My goodness, someone was having some fun watchin' us, wasn't she? Ye're absolutely soaked and gorgeous love. Now, what do ye want? Do ye want me inside ye, or just a thorough eating out?"

I normally would have blushed at this, but I was too turned on. "Both sound amazing. You chose, Jack. I trust you." I bucked my hips slightly as he looked back down at me. "Just hurry. I'm losing my mind." I squirmed. Jack nodded, still grinning as he leaned down and started licking into me. His tongue was amazing. A few minutes after he started, he pulled away, just enough to line his dick up. He quickly entered me, not bothering with a condom, which was fine with me right now. I needed him now. And it wasn't like I could get more pregnant, right? Jack started with a slow rhythm until I bucked and moved, making him go faster. He was exceedingly gentle as he fucked me mindless, continuously picking up speed until he hit the magic combination of angle, speed, and build and I came, flying apart in his arms. My orgasm was so intense it made him cum again as well and we lay there, worn out and happily exhausted but satisfied for a long time. I fell asleep in his arms.

The next morning, Mark woke us up and gently lifted me onto the bed, helping me change tops and bras. He helped me into the panties and skirt I was going to wear today as well. Jack and I had slept all night long curled together on the floor in the pillow section of our fort. While Mark helped me, Jack got up and took a shower. He was dressed when he came back in the room, just as Mark lifted me into the wheelchair. Jack grinned and pushed me down the hall to the kitchen. "Breakfast time love. What sounds good this mornin'?"

I grinned at him. "Well..." 

He laughed knowing what I was thinking. "That was last night. Ye need some food and something ta drink. How does a smoothie, toast and eggs sound? I'll give ye a glass of milk ta start with while I cook." I nodded and we kissed. He stepped away, pouring me a big glass of milk and handing me my morning vitamins and medications. I took them and watched him cook. He had gotten a lot more confident in the kitchen since I had met him and now he moved about efficiently, doing everything he needed to without even looking at me to make sure he was right. I smiled as I sipped my milk. He started with the eggs, making me some over easy. He had the toast ready at nearly the same time, so he put the eggs on top of the toast, the way I preferred, added some fresh cracked pepper and handed me the plate. I smiled and thanked him as he headed back over to the blender and made me a smoothie with bananas, frozen blueberries, apple juice, and some grapes. He added ice and some yogurt, blended it all up and poured me an enormous glass, adding a straw from the drawer with a flourish. I grinned. He handed it to me with a bow. "For ye milady."

"Thank you sweetheart. Now, are you going to join me? I know you made yourself some eggs and toast too." His plate was still on the counter. He grinned at me, grabbed the plate and a small glass of the smoothie, before taking a seat next to me. He scooted his chair as close to mine as he could, patting my tummy. I smiled as he leaned over to talk to the girls.

"Good mornin' my lovely little ladies. Yer momma is looking extra beautiful today, and I hope ye all had a good nights sleep. Yer momma and I were very relaxed last night, and I hope ye were too." He rubbed the babies again before sitting back up and picking up his fork. We ate in companionable silence for several minutes before Mark, fresh from a shower and dressed for warmth in jeans, a shirt, and his lucky flannel, joined us. He made himself some scrambled eggs and toast, washing the pan when he was done and grabbing a pear out of the fridge instead of drinking any of the smoothie. He scooted in as close to me on my other side as he could. We all ate quietly, trying not to wake anyone else up. Ma and Pa knew we had planned to leave early today and that we would be gone until the next evening, so they wouldn't worry, but I was worried about Jack. He wasn't saying much this morning and I knew he had a lot on his mind. I looked at him as we ate and made a decision.

"Jack, before we leave, we should call Felix and see if he can either come visit us, or have us come visit him for a day or two. I think it would be a lot of fun, and well, I think having a friendly face here, besides family, would be a good idea. Let's call him now, unless you think he won't be up yet?"

Mark laughed. "That's a great idea! I haven't seen him in a while."

Jack nodded and looked thoughtful. "He usually goes online around eight thirty, so we could call from the road, if we wanted to leave now. I mean, it's quarter gone seven now, and I think we're all ready. Mark, are ye ready ta drive? I'll sit in tha back with [y/n] and tha babies, if ye're ready."

Mark nodded. Jack grabbed the bags I had packed and set by the front door the previous night and Mark pushed me out to the car, lifted me into the backseat, and made sure I was comfortable before he got in the drivers seat. Jack got in next to me and pulled out his phone, pulling me over to lean on him. He turned slightly so his knee was supporting my back a bit and he rested his arms and phone on my belly, his chin on the top of my head. It was surprisingly comfortable and very comforting. It was kind of like a whole body hug. Jack pulled up Twitter and was reading through his feed and answering DMs. I watched for a little while before the gentle motions of the road and the quiet sounds of Jack's breathing lulled me back to sleep for a short nap. I woke up at about eight twenty five. Jack looked at me and grinned. "Tha's some internal clock ye have, lass. How'd ye manage that? Felix just came online." 

I laughed. "I have no idea. I just wasn't tired anymore. Now, can I sit up for the call or are you too comfortable?" 

Jack chuckled. "Nope, ye can't move. I am way too comfortable and clearly ye are too, if ye fell asleep like that. Now, I'm gonna call Felix now. Shh." He dialed the number through Skype on his phone and put it on speaker. I reached down and moved the phone screen up slightly since it was a video call. Felix did not need an entire screen of my boobs. Jack grinned and kissed my forehead, just as Felix picked up.

"Hey guys, what's up? And how are you doing [y/n]? Have you been okay since the bombshell announcement? You know, you could have warned us. Ken, Bob, Wade, and I have been fielding a lot of questions on our channels since we know all of you."

I was confused. "Bombshell announcement? My heart problem was a bombshell? What?"

Now Felix was confused. "What? You're having heart problems again? When did that happen? What's going on?"

Jack looked at me for a second. He shook his head. "I think Felix meant the news about our relationship, not yer heart love." He turned back to Felix. "Sorry for the extra noise from the fans. We've had a busy few days. After that announcement, we spent one quiet day, before we had another shake up. [Y/N] ended up back in the hospital. She had a panic attack because of a series of unfortunate circumstances and passed out just as Mark and I got home. She fell when she passed out and we took her to tha hospital because we couldn't wake her back up. She was out for over an hour." Jack paused shivering. "They had ta sedate her in tha hospital ta get her heart rate under control. We thought she was dying. When we finally got her calmed down and her heart rate back ta normal, tha doctors told us we might lose tha babies. Tha defect in [y/n]'s heart has gotten bigger and tha virus that put her in tha hospital along side me last spring is back. Fortunately, after a bit more testing, we were given an option that might allow her and tha babies ta make it, at least until they are big enough ta be born. We have ta monitor her all tha time and she has ta take some medicine, but it's okay for tha babies." Jack swallowed. "She handled everything really well, until yesterday, when something really got to her and she kind of melted down, but she has promised ta talk ta us about it soon. She just needs a little time ta focus on happier things." 

I smiled at Felix. "I'm okay. And the upshot of all that, the thing Jack failed to mention, is we got to see the babies on a much better ultrasound and found out I'm actually about a month further along than we thought. I'm at twenty weeks instead of sixteen. The girls are all really healthy and active too. I posted the video so if you haven't seen it, you should check it out. I swear one of the girls is already trying to steal Jack's trademark punch of the camera."

Felix grinned. "Girls huh? You found out what you were having and they're all girls?" I nodded. "Good for you. Are the daddies as happy as you?"

Mark yelled out from the front seat. "At least! We have already started planning tea parties and how we are going to decorate the nursery."

Jack grinned nodding. "We haven't talked about names yet, but I have a few ideas. I think we will soon, if we can find a few quiet minutes."

Felix laughed. "Yeah, bro, good luck with that. Now where the hell are you calling from. The flashing colors behind you are trippy as balls."

I giggled. "We're in the car, headed to Jack's apartment in Athlone. He wants to grab a few things and I needed out of the house before I went up the walls. We may have been a little late. I think that's what contributed to yesterday so much." I said the last part to Jack. He nodded, understanding on his face. I turned back to Felix. "So the other thing we didn't mention about the hospital trip is, until the babies get here, I'm stuck in a wheelchair or bed. I'm not supposed to be alone. And I'm not supposed to stand or walk for more than five minutes. It's making me stir crazy. We went on a little walk yesterday, or the guys walked, and I was rolled along, before dinner, and my old anxieties and some things from the past really ambushed me." I looked down at the babies, ignoring the phone screen for a minute and collected myself again. "Sorry, still hard to talk about. Now, part of the reason we called. Felix, are you and Marzia real busy right now? We would love to see you, either us coming over there or you coming to Ireland and visiting for a day or two. Jack's family is great, but having a few friendly faces who we can talk about YouTube and social media would be fantastic. Besides, it's been ages since we've seen you. You won't believe how big I've gotten, I swear. I can barely believe it."

Felix laughed again. "You can't be that big." He grinned as I shook my head at him and grabbed the phone from Jack, swinging it down to point at my enormous baby belly. "Okay, I take it back. You can be. Holy hell, when did that happen? The last video I saw of yours wasn't that long ago. You were wishing everyone a happy Thanksgiving. That was only a couple of weeks ago. What have you been feeding them?"

I turned the phone back to my face and Jack's. He took it back, kissing me again. "Stop that. Ye just rest and stay still. Tha girls will start kicking yer ribs again if ye move around." I made a face. Jack was probably right. "Now, Felix, can we come see ye? Or can ye come see us?"

Felix grinned at Jack. "I think your accents thicker every time you visit Ireland, bro. I'd love to come visit. Let me check with Marzia before promising anything. Can I text you later to firm up the details?"

"Sure Felix. Well, we better let ye get back ta work. Ye don't have tha editing wonder team I do. Bye."

Felix laughed again. "Bye bro. Talk to ya soon. Bye Mark! Bye [y/n], feel better!" With that he ended the call. I relaxed against Jack a little more. 

He grinned down into my face, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief. I looked back up at him, warning him to behave with my eyes and shifted my arms, my elbow, brushing his inner thigh 'accidentally'. He got the message and winked at me. "Okay, I'll be good. Jeez, that was scarily effective. I didn't even do anything yet. Ye read my mind."

I looked at him again, love and amusement in my own eyes. "Yup. And don't you forget it. Now, I have to ask, next time we call someone, can you not start the camera off pointed right at my boobs. I really don't know Felix THAT well. And I don't know if I want to." 

Jack stuttered. "Wh-What? Is that why ye moved my hands before tha call started. I was pointed at..." He looked at me. "Good catch. I doubt Felix would have minded though. He's kind of a boob fan." He winked at me the devilish look back in his eyes. He deepened his voice. "As am I."

My pulse quickened at the sound of his voice, pitched like that. I growled at him and somehow pounced. It startled a squeak out of him and I grinned predatory smile on my lips and lust in my eyes. Jack was now, somehow pinned under me and laying on the seat, while I was sitting up on top of him. Mark looked back startled as the car shifted from the maneuver. "How did you do that? Jackaboy, what did you wake up in her?"

Jack looked at me, stunned. I could also feel his arousal pushing at me through his jeans. "I have no idea. She just... ...moved."

I leaned forward and frenched him, shifting slightly, creating some friction as I straddled him more comfortably. He moaned into my mouth. Then I broke the kiss off and shifted again, dumping him on the floor of the car and sitting on the seat properly. I was mentally striping his gears, I could see. I smiled, innocently this time. "You okay Jack? I'm sorry I knocked you off the seat. I was just trying to get more comfortable." I internally laughed as he struggled to catch up and calm down at the same time. He climbed back on to the seat next to me and leaned close.

"That was evil."

I grinned, losing the innocent look. "I warned you to behave. Besides, we don't really have room back here for any antics right now. And Mark needs to get us to your apartment. So focus on giving him directions, or I will find a more evil way to punish you next."

Jack blinked. "Yes ma'am." He looked at the road and was startled to see how close we were to our destination. He guided Mark to the apartment building and told him where to park. Then he got out and pulled the key out of his wallet. He looked back at us as he opened the door. "Well, here it is. My old apartment. Mark, can ye handle getting [y/n] in?" He nodded. I had to be picked up and put on a chair while the wheelchair was folded up to fit through the door and then moved back into it. As Mark carried me across the room, I snuggled into him. 

He grinned at me. "What's up babe? You look like you have something on your mind, more than usual. Do you want to take a tour of the apartment, or sit on the couch and talk to me about it?"

I smiled at him, and then looked serious. "Couch. And I want to keep our voices low. I'm worried about Jack."

Mark nodded. "Me too. Maybe for the same reason. Come on. I'll get you settled and get us some drinks. You need to be drinking more still, remember?"

I nodded and sighed. I felt like I was going to float away, and had to pee most of the time, but the babies needed the water. I drank a full glass when Mark brought it over, setting the glass down when I was done. Mark nodded. I leaned in and started talking. "Sweetie, I'm really worried about both of you. The stress lately has been tremendous. But I think Jack is on edge. I could feel it the whole drive here. I'm kind of afraid because I don't know what's on his mind. He isn't talking about it, but I know he has stopped referring to this as home. I don't want him to feel like we are making him leave his country for us, or the babies. I wish he would talk to me."

Mark looked surprised. "You got all that from him? How? He hasn't said a word to me. Did he say something to you?"

I shook my head. "No, of course not. I doubt he's talked to anyone, and that's part of what has me worried. I can read him is all. I can read you too." I looked at him. "And the stress and anxiety you're under is really not good. You need some alone time with your friends. Call Bob or Wade. Jack and I will be fine. Just take a few minutes and talk about things. You'll feel a lot better." I kissed him on the cheek. "I wish Jack would do the same with Felix." I sighed. "When I talk to the two of you about my problems it's not going to be a fun conversation and I need to know you are both okay first. I may break down when we talk, it's that bad."

Mark looked concerned and hugged me. "We can handle it together, babe, I'm sure. Whatever it is. I will call Wade tonight though, I promise. You're right. I do need a friend to talk things out with. We've had too much go on in too short a time." He leaned into me, which is how Jack found us a few minutes later. 

Jack had an odd expression on his face, nostalgia mixed with determination and surprise, I think. He turned to us. "Take a look around if ye want. I realized as I was walking 'round, this place is full of memories, but it's not home anymore. I'm hiring a moving company and getting my stuff out. Then I'm letting tha apartment go."

I turned to Mark. He looked at me and whispered "You were right again." I nodded, turning back to Jack.

"Jack, sweetheart, come here please. I want to talk to you seriously for a minute. Mark, you can stay or go, your call." Mark got up to leave, waving his phone at me. "That's not quite what I meant, but okay. Go. We'll be here." He left, stepping down the hall into a room and closing the door. I turned back to Jack. He looked concerned and strained. I kissed him gently and hugged him tightly, not releasing him. "Okay, Jack. Here's the deal. I know some of what's been going through your mind, but we need to sit here and talk about it. The stress and craziness of the last week is too much to bottle up for any of us, and you are trying to make a decision here that neither Mark nor I are asking you to. I know you have been trying to decide whether or not to move to America and leave Ireland. We love you and would never make you choose. Hell, I think Ireland is a beautiful country, rain and all, and would love to live here, as long as you were here as well. Now, talk to me boyo. I'm not letting you get up until I know exactly what's going on in that sweet head of yours."

Jack looked like someone had stunned him. "How did ye figure all that out. I haven't told anyone."

I smiled, sadly, at him. "That's part of the problem. I made Mark go call Wade, well, I gave him the choice, Wade or Bob, and he chose Wade. He needs a friend who isn't tied into all this stress who can help him relax for a little while. I think he also wants the dumb jokes Wade is fond of telling. Now, you need to call someone to talk to about all this too. So who is it going to be? Felix? Bob? Hell, even Malcolm? I know he is always there for you and has dealt with a load of shit in the past. You need to take some time to yourself and call someone tonight." I looked at him. "I mean it."

Jack gave a wobbly smile to me. "I can see that. I think I'll call Bob. He's sensible and can give me some good advice, I hope. Felix is a little too excitable. And calling Mal will just mean everyone in my family will know. So, yeah. I'll call Bob."

"Good. Now, what are you thinking? I really want to know." 

Jack looked at me. "Ye figured most of it out. I've been trying ta find a reason ta cling ta Ireland. I just don't have one. We can visit whenever we can make the time. And ye solved tha last of my worries when ye said ye wouldn't mind living here later, when our careers are less tied ta LA. I was just afraid of losing who I am, ye know?"

I smiled, somewhat sadly, at him. "Yeah, I know. You were afraid events and other people were going to swallow you up and leave you stranded in a place you didn't know with no support system and no one to help you. You were afraid of losing who you are and who you want to be because of what's going on around you. And maybe you were afraid of what would happen if we suddenly were gone. Sound about right?"

Jack swallowed and stared at me. I was still looking at him a little sadly. "How did ye know? That's it exactly." 

I nodded. "Yeah. I've been there. In fact that's part of the story I need to tell you and Mark." I sighed. I think I better do it while we are still here, before we head back to your parents. But you will need to make that call first. I need to know both you and Mark have clear heads for it. It's not going to be fun."

Jack nodded and just snuggled with me for a little while, looking around his old apartment. I could see he was mentally packing and trying to figure out what to keep and what to get rid of. I turned to him. "Sweetie, do you need to take a day to yourself to come back and pack up here, with the movers? Mark and I can do something else."

Jack looked at me again and suddenly shivered as if he was cold. "How tha hell do ye keep doing that? Figuring out what I'm thinking before I do? Honestly woman, it's spooky."

I laughed. "I'm observant. And you aren't that hard to figure out sometimes. But that's okay. I love you and it helps to know what you need."

He smiled at me. "Ye're really good at that. And I love ye too. Actually, I'm gonna go call tha movers now, and see if they can pop round tomorrow. If they can, we'll just wait on them and then head back ta Ma's. Sound good?" I nodded and rested my head on his shoulder. He kissed my hair. Mark came out a little while later, looking like the weight of the world was off him. He sat down next to me and hugged me, snuggling close. I let Jack go and leaned into Mark, sensing this was what he needed at the moment.

I looked at Jack. "Go make your phone calls. We'll be here." When he hesitated, I gave him a look. "Both calls. Everything else can wait." Jack nodded and got up, leaving the room. Mark looked at me with a question on his face. "He's going to go do exactly what you just did. Talk to a friend. And he's calling the movers to see if they can come pack his things up tomorrow." Mark blinked a few times in surprise and nodded. Then he just cuddled me a little tighter to him. I let him, resting my hands on the babies, who were kicking me, hard, and smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Chapter that's not so dark.
> 
> On another note, thanks for all the lovely comments on the story so far. 
> 
> I have decided on the babies names! They will be revealed soon, by Christmas in the story, I think, or New Years at the latest. I am planning on having the discussion about baby names be in the chapter with the heavy backstory stuff tomorrow, but I might not release the final decision until Jack and Mark are talking to their families. Oh, and the last names will be revealed when the babies are actually born. :D I really like the end result, especially after I decided to give the (potential) names of Mark's daughters a Disney spin. (Except Danielle, which was a memorial for his friend, which someone suggested just after the whole pregnancy plot line started and I wholeheartedly agree Mark would do.) I am really happy with them right now, too. (One added bonus, as I was looking up the names of Disney princesses, so I could include more than just the main eight or whatever, I found one of Ariel's sisters is actually named Alana/ Alanna! Ha! It turns out that name also has German roots as well, making it a better fit than I had originally thought, when I thought it just worked because of the Irish roots. So yeah, Samantha Alanna!)
> 
> WARNING!!! The next chapter is going to a very dark place. It has been on my mind for the last few days. It may be late -- it's very hard for me to write about and I'm trying to write it in a way that I can deal with, that works with the story, and that isn't too personal, depressing, and immediate. Until and I can manage all of that, the chapter won't be out. Honestly, it's the hardest thing I've had to write yet. I WILL be updating the tags for that chapter and will have trigger warnings at the beginning. HOWEVER, as soon as that chapter is over, we will be getting back to a more even, and happier by god, note. So please bear with me, and if you need to skip that chapter, it won't effect the rest of the plot too much, other than clarifying the readers reactions and background. There will be mentions of extreme bullying and past abuse. Tread carefully.


	56. The Past Revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We reveal some history and explain the origins of the anxiety and panic issues. HEAVY!! Also please read trigger warnings!
> 
> Also, baby names discussed. :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNINGS: Descriptions of mental abuse, physical abuse, bullying. Mentions of past self harm. Mentions of suicide attempt. Tread lightly! Please don't read of these things could trigger you. I will not be diving deep into most of these subjects, but they will be discussed. 
> 
> Also, tags have been updated to reflect this chapter. I may have gone a little overboard when I tagged, but well, better safe than sorry. Anyone who is sensitive could skip this chapter and not miss too much. this is going to be a long one people, so buckle in!
> 
> ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When Jack came back, it was almost a full hour later and he looked a lot lighter, as though he had been buried under immense weight that he didn't even know he was carrying and it had suddenly been lifted. He practically skipped into the room and smiled when he saw Mark and I curled together on his couch, snuggling. He came over immediately and sat down beside me on the other side, joining our snuggles and wrapping his arms so they were not only around me, but over the babies as well. I smiled at him as soon as he was comfortable. "Oh Jack, you look so much happier. Feeling better?"

Jack grinned at me, nodding. "Ye were right. Talking about it helped. I feel like my head's back on straight and my fears are much more managed or just gone. And ye were right about making tha call before we talked about anything else." He looked at me with a suddenly wry smile. "Do ye have ta be right all tha time?"

That got a chuckle from Mark and a blush from me. "She is, isn't she? But we both love that about her. Now, what do we do for the rest of the day? Oh, and we better get some lunch pretty soon. It's almost noon."

I looked at the two of them. I sighed. "Okay, let's get food first. I suggest Mark goes and picks it up. Jack you could stay here with me and we could work on packing up any dry goods or canned foods you have so you can either take them to your mother or give them to a local food pantry. We could also work on packing your dishes if you have boxes and some paper." I bit my lip. "And as much as I hate to put more on either of you, especially after you both just got in a better place, I think we need to talk about my past." I looked down at the floor. "It's going to suck, but we need to do it." Mark and Jack both tightened their grips on me for a few seconds.

"Is it really gonna be that bad for ye, love?"

I nodded. "Yeah. And once I start, please don't stop me. I'll answer your questions after. Be warned though guys, there will be some really bad things. Just remember, I'm tough and I survived. I can survive a lot more if I need to." I swallowed and gave them a crooked smile. "Not that I want to, mind you, but I know I could if I had to."

Mark kissed my temple and leaned his head on my shoulder. "You're incredibly strong. We know that. But I think you're right, we do need to know what happened to you. If only so we can help protect you in the future and help diffuse your panics when they happen. I have the feeling what you say is going to be pretty key to that."

I nodded. "But first, let's get some food. Pizza?" I knew how much they both loved it, and I liked pizza too, so it was always a good choice. Both men nodded. "I want mushrooms and olives."

Jack grinned, knowing I was not a fan of pepperoni, since it gave me heartburn, something I already struggled with since I was so pregnant. "I'll call it in. Mark, can ye find the place on yer own? The GPS should be able ta tell ye exactly where it is, but I can give ye directions of not."

Mark smiled and shook his head. "I got it Jack. Just call it in. You know what I like." I saw Jack waggle his eyebrows as a thought crossed all our minds at once. I giggled helplessly as Mark blushed. "Not what I meant you dirty minded goofs." 

I winked at Jack. "Of course not, Mark. Why would you ever flirt with your lovers? That's just soooo not you." Jack cackled and Mark blushed brighter. "Let's just go to the video evidence, shall we? Or do you concede the point?" I was grinning widely by this point.

Mark looked at me. "I yield to the lovely and too quick witted woman who is highly pregnant with my babies. I am defeated." He let go of me to fall over backwards on the couch until he hit the side, his arm draped over his forehead dramatically.

I pulled him back up and kissed him. "Doofus. Come here." I gave him a hug before letting go. "I love you, even if you are a goofball." I felt the babies kick harder. "And so do our daughters, apparently. Oof. Easy there little ones. Momma's starting to bruise." I rubbed my belly with one hand. Mark joined me, rubbing his hands over the babies, trying to calm them. He hummed quietly as Jack called the food order in. When Jack was done, he looked at us, smiled and joined in trying to soothe the babies.

Jack's help made the difference, especially when he quietly sang to them, Mark joining in. I would have as well, but the babies were kicking the air out of me. A few minutes later, they had settled back down, just rolling around again. When the men felt them grow stiller, they stopped singing and winked at me. I smiled, catching my breath, both from the relief of not being kicked any longer, and from the emotional surge of having both men look so much happier and smiling at me. Jack turned to Mark. "They said tha pizza will take about twenty five minutes, so ye probably want ta leave in a few. Parking can be a real bitch down there sometimes. Thanks Markimoo."

He grinned, hugged us both and headed out the door, promising to be right back. I looked over at Jack. "So, want to sort through your cupboards now?"

Jack laughed. "Actually, Ma and I did that before I left. There's hardly anything still up there, at least I think. Let's go check. Gimme a second ta get ye back in the wheelchair." He set the wheelchair up and lifted me into it. As he walked over to the wheelchair with me, I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned my head on his chest. "What are ye think love?" 

I smiled faintly. "How lucky I am to have two such amazing men in my life. You're both so strong and patient. I love you so much. I hope you both know that."

Jack grinned. "I'm glad I asked then. Ye were so quiet, I was afraid it was something bad. And it's not like ye share what's going on in yer head all tha time."

I smiled a tight smile. "You wouldn't necessarily want me too. Usually, it's a pretty crowded place, my brain. And not always happy."

Jack let it go and pushed me over to the kitchen. He opened the cupboards and I saw he was right. They were empty, except for a single box of crackers, one of cereal, and a jar of peanut butter. Even his dishes were gone. In there place were packages of plastic plates, bowls, and flatware. He had a few glasses still in one cupboard, but very little was still in his kitchen at all. Once we had opened all the drawers and cupboards, collecting a very small pile of belonging, we carefully packed them up in a box. I wrote a label of what was in it, stuck it on, and taped the box up. Jack grinned at me. "Ye want ta start on tha living room? We can pack up a few boxes before Mark gets back, I think. Or would ye rather just cuddle?"

I looked at him. "I'd rather sit on the couch and think or cuddle you, but I know you need to pack. Do you need my help?"

Jack shook his head. "Nah. I'll set ye back on tha couch and ye can rest while I handle packing. Ye are starting ta look tired again." I nodded agreement and he put me back on the couch, making me stretch out and covering me up with a soft blanket. I laid there, thinking until Mark came back in the front door, startling both of us. He had the pizzas, and a bag from the grocery store with salad, a few packets of dressing, and some brownies. Jack brought the plastic plates, bowls, and flatware over, handing them out. Mark grabbed the napkins from the pizza place and we all grabbed food. I ate hungrily, still lost in thought. When we were all done, Jack put the leftovers in the fridge for either dinner tonight or lunch tomorrow and both men cleared away the trash. I swallowed and waited for them to come back over to sit down. It was showtime. 

Mark and Jack both saw my face and settled in beside me quickly, leaning on either side of me, supporting me and cuddling with me, stroking hands on over the babies, trying to keep me calm and let me talk. I took a large drink and started. "Okay, here we go. My anxiety issues, panic attacks, and depression, which thankfully, I am not struggling with right now, all stem from the same place. It started when I was four, just starting school for the first time. I was the youngest student in the class and I looked pretty different than everyone else. For one thing I was tall for my age and a little heavier. For another I had glasses. I was the only one in Kindergarten with glasses. I got beat up by older kids every day. At one point they even went so far as to trap me on the school bus and not let me off at my stop. My mother actually had to step in, which helped in one way, and made it so much worse in another. The bullies stopped physically attacking me as much, but their mental assaults got much worse. I was relieved when we moved to a new school district the following year, until the same thing happened. There I was a full year younger than anyone else, but I was a smart kid, and kept up in most of my classes. The ones I was struggling with, my mother and father were concerned because it seemed to be more than just the usual not understanding the concepts. They were right, forcing the school to test me for dyslexia (I had shown a lot of the signs of having it, including mirror reading and writing) and dyscalculia (a similar learning disability that effects math skills and numbers). I had both, as well as 'clinically significant' ADHD. I was placed in some remedial classes, but I was a good reader, even dispite my dyslexia and put in advanced reading because my comprehension was so high. The bullying got a lot worse then. I was struggling, constantly being pulled in three directions. On one side, the remedial math classes and writing classes, on another advanced reading, and later advanced science, and in the middle everything else and the normal kids. I didn't fit in anywhere very well. It got worse again when we moved a year and a half later. I was even more of a misfit, and the teachers were far from understanding, thinking I was just lazy in math, not that I was struggling to understand and the numbers everyone else was seeing were simply different for me. I struggled through a year and a half at that school, where they had no special help for anyone no matter how much a person was ahead or behind. I hated it with a passion and soon sought solace in books and video games at home. I was becoming shy. I was afraid to meet new people because too often they would turn out to be bullies or mean to me later. Even many adults were casually cruel, making comments about my weight and size, assuming I either couldn't understand them or was too young to care. By the time we moved again from the city to my father's mother's house in the country, I had developed a thick skin, but was somewhat damaged on the inside. No one else knew, not even my parents, that I longed for friends who wouldn't judge me and a place where I belonged."

"The move was very hard on all of us. My father had lost his job and we were really poor. I didn't realize it at the time, assuming everyone my age shopped at thrift stores and Goodwill for clothes. I soon found out I was very wrong. The first day of school, fourth grade, was hard. I was the new kid, a year younger than everyone, and smarter than average. I wasn't the only new student however. There were three of us. A boy my age from Arizona, where the age to start school was also younger, and who's birthday was actually the same day as mine. And a girl, a little older, who was the step-daughter of the minister of the church my mother and I attended. My brothers went to Sunday school there as well, but they never stayed for actual church, or very rarely, as they were too young and fidgeted too much. Not that I was much into church. Anyway, the school was a little different than the previous one. The students weren't quite as mean, although they did pick on me for reasons I was unused to, making me feel off guard most of the time. They teased me for having a different speech pattern and accent then them, for using big words and being proud of having a large vocabulary, and for being so pale. Most of them had tans, or at least could tan properly." I looked at Jack, smiling faintly as he smiled at me understanding exactly what I meant. "So I was different again, but there were students who were nice to me, the smart kids mostly. So I formed some friendships, but they were never that strong. By sixth grade, the school had insisted my previous diagnosis of learning disabilities had to be wrong, so my parents made me get tested again. The results were the same and I was put in remedial writing, much to my disappointment. It was held at the same time as my favorite class, choir. I loved to sing and had a strong voice. Fortunately, I only needed one year of remediation, and was back in classes with everyone else for everything else. That was also the year I really developed breasts. So now, I'm an eleven year old, taller than anyone else, a year younger, and I have definite breasts. I'm also still a bit on the heavy side and wear clothes from thrift stores, yard sales, and Goodwill, receive free lunch, and am a solid A student in all but math, where I struggled a lot more, but still made a good B average. I was shy, read all the time, rarely talked in school, and didn't know the latest TV shows, actors, or music bands. I didn't care. I was also exceptionally good with computers, since I had been using one since I was tiny, that my grandmother (father's mother) had gotten in nineteen eighty five. I could run all the DOS games and actually knew a lot of the programming for DOS before I even started taking computer classes in school. A girl, two and a half years older than me and one grade ahead of me, started bullying me at the end of the year, really viciously tearing down my self-esteem which was already low. My mother had no idea about any of this and my father..." I paused, licked my lips, and drained my glass of water before continuing. 

"My father had become disabled, having started a business doing landscaping and gotten hurt falling off a ladder while cutting down a tree. He had injured his back, rather severely, and had developed carpal tunnel from his previous work as a manager in an office, which is why he had changed careers. Now he was too injured to work, which was also part of why money was so tight. My father was now supposed to be watching us kids, but in reality I was in charge, when we got home from school, while my mother worked part time at the local library. Mom didn't really know what was going on at home. My two brothers had both just started school, the younger one in a pre-kindergarten half day class. I would be in charge as soon as I got home from school, often being asked to make dinner for the family as well. I didn't mind that, but it was hard to manage my brothers and keep up with school. In seventh grade, I made some new friends, they were a grade behind me, but my own age, and also felt like they didn't exactly fit in anywhere. We were outsiders, but didn't mind so much, since there were more of us now and the bullies left the group alone. I was the only one still facing problems, from the girl in the grade ahead of me and her gang. They picked on my for my clothes, height, weight, crooked teeth, then braces, glasses, hair color and style, lack of tan, old backpack, basically anything. I tried just ignoring them, putting on a brave face in front of the world. Not even my friends knew how badly I was suffering. I thought about suicide a few times, but never very seriously. I felt like I had too many responsibilities, between caring for my brothers, keeping up with school, which my family had repeatedly told me was my job, helping care for my father, who developed a neuro-muscular disorder, and volunteering at church and the library. I was a page at the library, unpaid, assisting my mother and learning all about how libraries worked. I was twelve, but felt more like a thirty year old, with responsibilities that would have staggered or crushed most people. I was taking that part in stride, and most of the bullying. It didn't help that my father was extremely overprotective and swore I wouldn't date until I was eighteen. The few boys who might have been interested were scared off by my father. I was invited to a school dance only once, in middle school, and had to decline, because it was a night I had to watch my little brothers. By the start of high school, I was feeling like I was in a pressure cooker, and only occasionally venting off any steam, mostly by not doing homework assignments in classes where I had issues with the teacher or where I felt they were painfully needless, just busywork. I didn't have time for that shit. In tenth grade, something inside me snapped and broke free. I have no idea why or how it happened. I was sitting alone at lunch, my friends in a different lunch period than me, reading as usual. I was reading a novel, for fun, instead of a schoolbook, but it didn't matter, I was just reading, minding my own business. The bully girl from the grade ahead of me came over and snatched the book from my hand, looking it over. She was clearly going to start taunting me, but I had had it. I snapped. I insisted she return it to me and stood up in front of her. I was a good six inches taller than her, and while not athletic, I had a lot more muscle. I had also started to lose the baby fat I had previously carried, but still dressed the same as ever, baggy clothes that hid my size from the world. Her eyes got wide and her friends backed off, realizing they had finally pushed me too far. She gave the book back, trying to act tough, but was clearly afraid. I sat back down and picked at my food, sitting mostly ignored anyway, and not feeling hungry. She tried insulting me again as she left, picking on my clothes, claiming I must have gotten them from a bag sale. I was mad enough to yell back at her as she walked away, 'Better from a bag store, than a brothel, whore.' She blushed and ran down the hall, followed by her friends at a run. I was a little embarrassed because I so rarely spoken in school unless it was to a teacher or my friends, but no one said anything, though quite a few people laughed." I took a breath. "She and her gang left me completely alone after that, although I did end up in a fight about a month later with a boy who was extremely popular, tall, and athletic. Another student, a younger boy, who I honestly didn't care for much, was trying to flirt with me even though I wasn't interested and turned him down politely several times. The taller boy came over and started teasing the two of us, claiming I was a frosty bitch, and the younger one was a moron for going after me. He started physically pushing the other student around and I stepped in. I had taken karate years before, not getting very far, but learning a few things very well and had recently taken kickboxing up, although no one but my family knew that. I could block a lot of punches, deliver a very hard kick, and even do a double roundhouse kick. Well, when the taller boy threw a punch at me, I kind of lost my temper and kicked his knee, being extra careful not to break it. I knew I could, but I didn't want to permanently damage him. He fell over, but got back up, keeping his weight off that leg, and tried to attack me again, going for my hair and neck. I grabbed his shoulders and dug my fingers in where the base of his neck met his shoulders, a pressure point that's very painful, and didn't let go until he fell over again." **_{A/N -- Yep, right where they do the Vulcan nerve pinch.}_** "The boy was a known trouble maker and he got suspended. I walked away clean with no bruises or after effects other than people stopped picking on me even more. I had developed new friends by this point, some of my old friends drifting away and joining the dropout and druggie crowd. My new friends were all geeks. We talked about fantasy, played D  & D in the cafeteria, and chess in homeroom. We talked about school work and science developments with enthusiasm. We took acting classes and sang in the choir together. And even though I was the tallest girl in the school, my two best friends were the shortest. We looked like a comedy troupe. I dated a little, not telling my family. Then one of my friends had a rather devastating breakup with her boyfriend and she started cutting. We didn't notice at first, but when the asshole came back and made up with her, only to dump her again when she wouldn't sleep with him, she attempted suicide. I was one of the people her mother called. She was hospitalized briefly and put on a round the clock suicide watch for a few weeks, and I was part of that. She told me later, I knew exactly how to help her more than anyone else, distracting her with other things whenever she started to circle into the dangerous areas of thought. I was the friend everyone else came to with their problems and I usually could help them fix them, or at least get through them. No one knew about my private hell at home though." I stopped, needing to take a minute. Jack hugged me closer. Mark got up and got me some more water, which I drank immediately. He refilled my glass before sitting back down and hugging to me. "Thank you, sweetheart."

"Okay, I can go on again. Sorry about that. Anyway, home. Yeah, home sucked. My father, who was given a lot of medications to help manage his pain and medical issues, had gotten very verbally abusive over time. It was a slow thing, occasionally calling me stupid, lazy, or useless when I didn't or couldn't do what he wanted. Then he started calling me a worthless bitch. Over time it got worse, and my grandmother, his mom, joined in. She was also having a lot of medical issues, mostly from complications to her diabetes, which she refused to take proper care of. She was a sugar addict and got mean when her sugar was too high, which it nearly always was, making her act like a drunk. I was helping take care of her too, so she would snarl and curse me out and call me all manner of names, telling me over and over I was useless, worthless, and a screw-up. She even thought I was her daughter, with whom she didn't get along ever since my aunt had been a teenager and rebelled. My grandmother called me a slut, whore, and many other vile things, thinking I was my aunt. It really caused me to have anxiety and no self esteem from my pre-teens on. I think it would have screwed anyone's head up pretty badly to have all that from your grandmother and father. But despite that, I still loved them, at least then." I looked down. "When my father hit me the first time, I was shocked. I didn't react well. I mentally shut down for a while. He apologized and claimed it was an accident. As time went by, more of those 'accidents' started to happen, and more often until the day he broke my collar bone. I had taken enough. I reported it when I went to the hospital. That was a few months before I graduated. He was put in the hospital under psychiatric evaluation, because he was claiming he saw me attack him with a knife and tried to shoot a neighbor who came over to see what all the screaming was about and saw my father break my collar bone. My brothers have their own horror stories about him. Needless to say, that's why I do not have contact with him anymore or his side of the family. I have spoken to him a few times over the phone since then, but it was extremely rare, and never went well." **_{A/N-- okay people, this is where the story starts to split away from mine. My father was not taken away at the time, because I didn't report it. That was later, and a lot of heartache happened in between. This is what I feel should have been how things happened at that point. However, I am telling the truth about everything else so far. And lovely reader, we have come to the end of the really traumatic stuff. Thanks for hanging in there.}_** "My parents split up at that point, my mother only staying in the area until I could graduate in June. After graduation, and a few graduation parties. we moved in with my mother's parents, in another state. We were even able to change our address before we actually moved, allowing me to get instate residence at the college I had wanted to go to for years, in the same state we now lived in. I moved off to college and blossomed, only having occasional panic issues when the stress of a part time job at the college library, my twenty one or more credit hour a semester course load, and trying to manage a social life all at the same time got to me. I felt freer than I had ever before. I started taking classes in electrical engineering and had a triple minor in drama, English, and Computer Sciences, by the time I graduated at the top of my class. I had dated throughout college and had my first real long-term relationship be a poly one, which ended on good terms. After I graduated, I found a job, an apartment, and friends, but wasn't very happy. Even though I was very good at my job, I didn't like it. Then when one of my friends got engaged, she asked me to help, setting up a website, a vlog, and filming the whole thing. She knew I was interested in all that, so I agreed, telling her it would be her wedding present from me. Before I knew it, I had dozens of people asking me to do the same, and I was able to quit my job as an engineer and start my own business. That was a mistake however, and one I soon fixed by joining a wedding planner and wedding photographer who worked in the same area as I did. The wedding planner took over the business side, letting me focus on my other responsibilities and before long I was able to start helping local charities and libraries with streams, vlogs, and website development on the side. Then I got hired by our company and moved out here. Lia and Greg have been my friends since high school and know a little of this, but not most of it. And before you ask, no neither of them were suicidal at any point." I finished speaking and looked up for the first time in a while. I licked my lips. "So yeah. That's why I have panic attacks and anxiety issues. Sometime I hear the voices in my past, calling me worthless, useless, a screw-up, a bitch who no one could ever love, a waste of space, or some variation and they start cycling through my head, blocking everything else out. I have worked really, really hard over the years to get over things, but..." I shook my head. "It's hard to overcome your childhood and abuse from family." A tear slipped down my cheek.

Mark hugged me, unable to say anything. Jack looked at me so sadly, it was breaking my heart. "Oh my god. I had no idea. Ye're always so strong, calm, and so rarely let things get ta ye. Love, I am so, so sorry. I wish no one ever has or has had ta go through that kind of suffering. Ye really are a gem." He leaned in and kissed me, wiped away the tears on my face, and hugged me again, just staying leaned into me to comfort me for a long time. It made me feel a lot better.

Mark, as soon as he found his voice again, released me from his hug. "[Y/N], I wish we could wave a magic wand and fix all of this for you. But I know we can't. You have come back from so much, I doubt I could have faced all that and not broken. You might be a little damaged, but I think it's something we can work on together. You are certainly worth the effort. And for the future, please don't pre-read the comments of the videos if you think we might have some negative comments. Jack and I can handle them." 

I looked into his very worried eyes and smiled a little. "So can I Mark. Like I told you, I have gotten over most of this, at least to a point where I can handle some shitheads on the Internet. I just have the occasional, infrequent flare up of doubt I need your help overcoming. Believe me, I'm pretty bulletproof as far as what people say and think anymore. That's the one benefit to all the bullying I went through. Well, that and the fact I really don't care what other people think of my life choices anymore. I know I can survive a hell of a lot. I just would prefer not to have to do it all alone anymore."

Jack looked up at my face, still not breaking the hug. "Ye'll not have ta worry about that love. We're here for ye, and will be as long as ye can stand us."

I smiled at him, a much bigger smile than I had smiled a few minutes ago. Mark leaned over and kissed me, gently. "Jack's absolutely right. We aren't going anywhere. You really are the most amazing woman I have ever known. I am thankful everyday I got to meet you and get to know you. And love you. Especially love you. And if you don't want us to protect you all the time, fine. We can try." 

I laughed. "You make me sound like a helpless princess, locked in a tower." I giggled. "You're not Mario or Luigi. I'm not Princess Peach. I am a self-rescuing princess, if I must be a princess. But I am more of a queen I think. A geek queen. " _**{A/N-- Yeah, that's where my username comes from. That's how I think of myself most of the time. That and from an incident when I was running a storytime for kids and we made crowns as a craft and my demo one ended up on my head, which I forgot about and left the storytime to go help some people check their items out. One of them was one of my friends and she bowed and told me she was glad to meet the queen of the geeks, which confused the hell out of me until she reached over and grabbed the crown, raising it with a smirk. I never have lived it down.}**_

Both men grinned at me. Mark stayed smiling for several minutes, just looking at me fondly. Finally he said "Babe, we should talk about something less depressing. I know I'm ready for that." I nodded, as did Jack. "How about baby names? We still have to figure those out."

I smiled even bigger. "Sounds like a plan. Let me get some more water and use the bathroom first. I have to pee yet again, and the little princesses in here are kicking right on my bladder. I feel a bit dried out too."

Mark lifted me into the wheel chair and Jack ran over and filled my glass again, setting it on the table for when I got back. Mark had already wheeled me down the hall to the bathroom and was helping me onto the toilet when Jack caught up. When I was done, they wheeled me back to the living room and got me settled back on the couch. We all settled in and started thinking. After a few quiet minutes the babies started kicking again, making me rub a hand over my belly absent-minded. Mark grinned. "Are the little princesses awake? Maybe we should ask them if they like the names as we come up with them." 

I laughed. "Fine with me. We just have to figure out if the kicks are yes or no." I turned to Jack. "Any thoughts, Daddy?" 

He smiled hugely. "Actually, i have a few. I like the name Sam, as ye know. Maybe Samantha?" I gestured to my stomach and Jack leaned close, his lips almost brushing my skin on one side. "Are any of ye a Samantha?" One of the babies moved, almost smacking him in the nose. "I guess so. Wow, that was some kick or punch. She's a strong lass!" 

I grinned. "So what middle name?"

Mark started throwing names into the mix. "Ariel? Amanda? Alice? Alanna? Anna? Adella? Andrina? Aurora? Elsa? Elliose? Elena? Esmeralda? Eileen?"

G

We looked at him. "Slow down Mark. And what's with all the names starting with an A or an E?" I asked him.

He grinned. "I like those names. And besides, if it starts with an A and we use Jacks last name, her initials will also be SAM. That's pretty cool!"

I laughed. "Yeah, having them spell something is cool." **_{A/N-- Me again. My initials IRL spell REB, which is pretty cool, even if I'm not a rebel. LOL}_**

We kept thinking. I made a suggestion and we tried it out. Little baby Sam like her new name. We all grinned. One down, three to go. Jack leaned over and kissed my tummy sweetly. I had a sudden idea, turned to Mark. "Sweetie, I have an idea, but I want to run it past you first. I don't want to hurt you, but what about naming one of the girls after Daniel? We could use Danielle or Daniella."

Mark smiled, looking thoughtful and a little sad. "That would be great. I think his family would really like that too. I know he would have liked you." He leaned over and asked the babies on the side he was on "So do we have a Daniella in there?" No kicks. "How about a Danielle?" Strong kick, right in front of Mark's face. I smiled. 

Mark looked thoughtful. "Okay Danielle it is. But Danielle what?"

Jack grinned. "Ye keep calling them princesses, let's try thinking of a few princess names. Disney, video games, movies, anime, whatever." That got a chuckle from all of us and a slight blush from Mark.

I looked at him questioningly for a few seconds, then grinned. "Markimoo, were most of those names you suggested princesses?"

He grinned, a little bashfully. "Yeah. Eileen wasn't but I like that name."

I smiled. "I do too, and it's a family name on my mom's side of the family. So is Stephanie." I felt a really strong kick, so did Jack. I looked at him. He leaned over to were the baby had responded.

"Are ye answering us Stephanie?" Smack, right in the face. Jack sat back grinning and rubbed his cheek. He suggested a middle name to match and we got a responding kick. "Well, alright. They really know their names, don't they?" 

I couldn't help but laugh. "That or we just have perfect timing. Come on we still have one little princess and some middle names to figure out."

We tossed some other names out. "Belle?," "Merida?," "Jasmine?," "Rose?," "Melody?," "Meg?," "Kairi?," "Leia?," (that got grins all round but no kicks), "Zelda?," "Fiona?" were all suggested but got no response. Finally, I suggested "Tiana?" our last little princess kicked. I grinned. Tiana it was.

Mark asked the babies about middle names, using the ones we had discarded as first names, until we had everyone named. We grinned, feeling accomplished. I felt so good, I pulled out my laptop and tweeted to the fans. 'Just got done picking baby names for our little princesses!' Jack and Mark liked the tweet and retweeted it on their own feeds. Before long we were flooded with fans begging to know the names early, or trying to guess. Some of them were really cute, but we liked the names the girls had helped us choose. We sat back and handled social media for the rest of the night, sending Jack out for takeout for dinner when we were all hungry. 

We all headed to bed early that evening, Jack digging out a set of sheets from the closet, extra pillows, and blankets for us, as we all climbed into bed, emotionally whipped. We cuddled and fell asleep quickly. The next day, we ate leftovers from the previous night for breakfast and lunch. Mark and I tried to help, but ultimately were sent to go sit on the couch out of the way, while Jack packed and had the movers haul everything away for temporary storage until he could decide what to do with it. Most of it was stuff he didn't need anymore, at least furniture wise, and he wanted to find a way to give it to someone who wold really need it. I finally suggested a homeless shelter, Goodwill, or contacting the local food bank or Red Cross. They helped people who had just come out of disasters, like floods and fires. Jack kissed me, telling me I was brilliant. He called the Red Cross and found out a local family had just had a fire that burned their house to the ground. A charity was helping them rebuild, but they needed all new furniture. Jack sent the delivery of all his furniture he wasn't putting in storage to bring to the US to the address he was told over the phone, and asked to be kept an anonymous donor. 

Once that was settled, he had one final truck filled about half full to send to a storage unit his parents had purchased and owned, set up on their property. They actually owned several, one for each of their children, and Jack's was currently mostly empty. He watched as they loaded the last of his belongings in the truck, did one final walk-through, and locked the door. He ran the key down to the building manager, telling them he was moved out. His lease was almost up, and he would not be renewing it. After he was done, we all headed back to the McLoughlins' house. 

Ma and Pa smiled when they saw us, telling us we looked a load happier and less stressed. I grinned and explained the two days had been useful, summing everything up without going into details. They grinned and hugged us all. "It's good ta have ye home now, Jackiboy. Even for a short time." Ma smiled and wiped away a tear as she said this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah. Not happiness and fluff. BUT it was needed to flesh out the character and explain the anxiety attacks she occasionally has and where her doubts are coming from. I swear NO MORE DRAMA until after the return to Cincinnati, if then. I may just keep it fluffy, smutty, and happy until the babies are born. Unless, the story hijacks itself again. *Shakes head slowly* *Smacks story to keep it in line*
> 
> Next chapter: BABY NAMES REVEALED! Lol. 
> 
> Oh, and thanks everyone who was worried about me. I'm not depressed right now, I swear. I'm just writing from my past, which is painful. And some of these experiences I lived through second hand - a very close friend tried to commit suicide and was cutting herself while we were in high school. I was on suicide watch with her after one incident. We did get her help, and she is okay now, but I saw what happened and was very involved. And although I have never been a cutter, I have done other things, like literally picking at my own skin until I bled, and being literally unable to not pick at scabs and wounds until they scarred. I've gotten a lot better, though, so please don't worry about me too much. Just a little background on me, since everyone seems so worried!


	57. Surprise Number One...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You all get a surprise. It's a good one!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a little late. I had an unexpected medical thing come up and had to run out for a few hours.
> 
> ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

We settled in at the McLoughlins and planned on a quiet few days, before Felix and Marzia showed up. Jack had given them the address, and they had told us we should see them on Saturday, and this was Thursday. Jack's brother, Malcolm and his family were flying in on Sunday, to stay through Christmas. Both his family and our group was leaving at the same time, so I had the feeling the airport was going to be loud and crowded with Jack's extended family. Jack looked up a few friends from school and talked to them briefly, meeting up with one of them on Thursday night for a drink at the local pub. Mark and I stayed behind, letting Jack have the evening to himself and not wanting to go to a bar or pub, since we couldn't drink and didn't know the people Jack was meeting. We had just cuddled up on the couch, maybe twenty minutes after Jack left, when there was a knock on the door. Pa went to get it, not wanting Ma to get up, or have us move. I stayed snuggled in to Mark's side, reading comments on Tumblr. I was already getting fan art of what people thought the babies might look like and since I had called them princesses, they were all wearing crowns or tiaras, making me smile and occasionally giggle. Mark was reading the comments and looking at fan art with me, pointing out his favorites. A particularly adorable drawing caught both our eyes and we grinned and reposted it. I sent out a tweet to my fans telling them to check it out as well, since I liked it so much and thanked the artist. 

When Pa came back, we were shocked! Felix and Marzia were standing in the doorway behind him. Mark jumped up, knocking me over on the couch. He didn't notice for a minute, he was so focused on going over to greet them. "Felix! Marzia! We weren't expecting you for a few more days. This is a great surprise! Jack's in town, but he'll be back soon. He was going to go meet a few old friends for a beer and to talk, but he told us he wouldn't be long." I grunted as I tried to sit back up. I was kind of stuck, because I fell straight back, and my now huge stomach was making it very difficult. Mark heard me and turned around. "Babe, why are you laying down like that? Do you need some help up?"

Marzia giggled and Felix laughed. "You knocked her over when you jumped up Mark. She was laying on you, from what we saw and you sprang up so fast she didn't have a chance to move."

I blushed. "Thanks Felix. Uh, yeah, Mark, I definitely need some assistance here. Ouch! Okay, okay. I get it Samantha, you don't like me laying in this position. Neither do I. It wasn't planned. Calm down and stop beating me up."

Mark came over immediately and lifted me up, turning me so I was sitting up with me feet on the floor before setting me back down. He rubbed the spot where Samantha usually was, trying to soothe her. Something helped, because she stopped trying to punch and kick her way out and I relaxed. "Did she settle down again?"

I kissed Mark's nose. "Yep. Thanks sweetheart." I looked over at Felix and Marzia who were grinning and Ma and Pa who made a delighted noise. "What? Why is everyone so excited suddenly?"

Ma answered. "Ye just called the babby Samantha. Have ye three picked names then?" I blushed and nodded. Mark sat down next to me, also nodding.

"We wanted to tell our families and friends before we told the fans, but we decided on names last night after a long discussion. The babies even helped pick. They were quite firm." I chuckled and Mark continued. "We can tell you the full names as soon as Jack gets back. The babies have been kicking pretty hard the last few days though, which I guess is good. Poor [y/n], she's got some very interesting bruises and she hates being confined to sitting or laying down all the time, but she is listening to the doctors."

Felix looked at me. "You look a lot better than you did the other day. Maybe it was just the angle and lighting, but you looked pale and exhausted. Jack looked kind of strained too. Is he doing better?"

I nodded. "Yeah, both he and Mark needed some time to talk their problems out, so I made them call friends. I told Jack he should call you, but he had someone else he wanted to talk to first and afterwards, he felt better, so he was going to wait until he saw you. So, what's new with the two of you?" I looked at Felix and Marzia closely, noticing how close together they were standing and how much excitement they were trying to hide. "Somethings up. Now come in and sit down. Those are Jack's parents by the way. Ma, Pa, that's Felix and Marzia."

Ma nodded. "We've talked a few times. Hi Felix. Nice ta meet ye and yer girlfriend finally."

Felix smiled at her. "Hi Mrs. McLoughlin, Mr. McLoughlin." He and Marzia came further in the room, taking off their coats. I watched closely trying to guess what was going on. Felix grinned as he caught me watching. "We'll wait to tell until Jack gets back. Until then, we can just chat. So have things calmed down a little for the three of you, or are you still in constant panic mode?"

Mark looked at me and grinned. "Well, things have calmed down a little. I mean, Jack turned in his keys for his apartment yesterday after moving everything out. And we had a long emotional discussion about [y/n]'s past and why she has the occasional panic attack, but other than that, it's been quiet."

Felix looked at the two of us, giving Mark a hard stare. "That's quiet?! What's busy, if that's a quiet time?"

That made me laugh. "Oh, you want busy? How about when I decided to hire three new people I had to train, I found out I was expecting four babies, and started looking for a house, all at once? Or when Jack and I were getting better and still trying to manage work and figure out our relationship? Is that busy? I've kind of lost track. Everything is busy all the time, I guess. It's been busy for me ever since we went to the convention last spring." I shook my head. "This is relatively calm, which is why I'm going stir crazy. I need busy, or else I think too much." 

Mark's grin faded and he leaned over and hugged me. "Don't worry babe. We'll be back to full swing before long. And Felix and Marzia will be as amazed by your superhuman multitasking and speed as the rest of your friends." He gave me an extra squeeze. "And I know why you overthink things, but please don't if you can help it. Jack and I will help you out if you come to us."

I leaned against him again after he let the lingering hug go, resting me head on his shoulder. "I love you Mark. You and Jack do so much for me." I closed my eyes as Danielle kicked or punched my ribs again, wincing. "Oof. I just wish the babies were a little less hyper. I may be high energy, but I'm pretty calm, most of the time, right? They must get that from their daddies." I rubbed the spot where Danielle was still attacking, trying to get her to stop. Marzia looked concerned.

"Are you alright, [y/n]? You look like you're in pain." 

I looked over at Marzia. "Yeah. One of the girls is attacking my ribs and it hurts. They have been moving, kicking and punching a whole lot ever since we got back from the hospital the other day. Mark and Jack sing to them to help calm them down, and that often works, but sometimes they just kick the wind out of me." I rubbed a spot a little way over from where Danielle was kicking, hoping to make her follow my hand. It worked and she focused on the new spot with vigor. At least it wasn't my ribs anymore. I sighed. "As much as I love feeling them kick and move, the constant kicking and punching is starting to get to be a little too much. I'm afraid they're going to break one of my ribs pretty soon. They're getting so big. I know they're crowded, but I want to keep them in and safe as long as they need. I don't know what to do." 

Marzia and Felix shared a look. Mark leaned over and started rubbing my stomach, all over, soothing little patterns. He looked at me and smiled. "Your going to be such a good mom. The girls are lucky. Jack and I are too. I just wish we could help more with this part." He sighed and Tiana kicked his hand, gently. He smiled down at it. "Oh, ho. Does somebody want to play with Papa? Let's see." He rubbed his hand in the same spot and she moved again, her foot or hand following the gentle movement. Felix and Marzia watched smiling. Ma and Pa had excused themselves to go do something in another room. Mark looked over at our friends. "Sorry. We have baby stuff on the brain lately. It's been getting more and more real for Jack and I as we watch [y/n] get bigger and the babies start to move and react in ways we can see. If it's too much just say something. I could talk about our little girls all day. We spent the entire day after we got home from the hospital just watching the video of the sonogram."

Felix grinned. "You sound like an proud daddy to be. It's awesome." He looked at Marzia again out of the corner of his eyes. I was starting to get suspicious. They were acting like they had a big secret to share and were practically bursting to tell us. I wondered if it could be what I thought it might be. Felix saw me looking speculative and changed the subject. "So, when filming starts back up, in February, are you going to be joining us [y/n]? Or are you going to have to wait until later in the season?"

I looked at him. "I don't know. I might be able to film a little while, but I might see if they can wait to have me come on full time until the second half of the season. By then the girls will be here and I will be back to normal. I have to see what the doctors say and what the writers and producers what to do. Hopefully, we can all work together to get things straightened out before the actual filming needs to start. By the way, the first few weeks are always about getting the cast comfortable with each other and the writers up to speed. Usually there is a lot more down time in actual filming of the show until mid March or after PAX East in April. My due date is sooner than that, so I'm hoping by the time the filming really gets underway I'll be ready to be back at full steam ahead. Have you two found an apartment or housing in LA to live in yet?"

Marzia shook her head. "Not yet. We need some place close, with a place to record our videos in as well. How did you manage?"

Mark laughed. "Jack, Bob, Wade and I record at work. They have studios for us. From what our boss tells us, they were able to rent the rest of the building, so the first floor is now going to be TV show stuff and staffing, and the second floor, where all our offices and recording stuff is, is going to be reserved for us. [Y/N] has an office there too. Actually, the rest of us use her office as much or more than she does. Vicki mentioned during the last day of filming that the project director had actually purchased the building and was closing down over the break to do some major renovations and build some additional stuff. She mentioned they might move the recording studios up to the third floor as well. They hadn't finalized all the plans."

I looked at him, surprised. "I wonder why no one told me? Do they need to move my office?"

Felix grinned. "And what exactly do you do? I mean I know you edit the videos for your boyfriends and run your own channel, but why do you have a separate office for that?" Marzia smacked his arm and glared at him, clearly telling him to be nice.

A laugh bubbled out of both Mark and I. "Oh, god. No one ever told you? I'm the head of the camera crew, pinch hit when someone is out, edit for the TV show when needed, film and edit all the promo spots, film, edit, and run my own channel which does cross promotional videos and clips, animate some videos on my channel, manage most of Jack's and Mark's scheduling, do promos at conventions, run a department, and train staff. And I oversee all the editing of videos for Jack and Mark. I also load and oversee their channels to make sure everything is posting correctly and help them manage the fan bases. And when Jack was hurt I started recording with him as his hands and even though he not injured anymore, I still record at least three days a week with him." I looked at Mark. "I feel like I'm forgetting something."

Mark grinned, still chuckling. "Well other than all the stuff you do, like cooking and hosting get-togethers at least once or twice a month at your apartment, and taking care of Jack and me, I can't think of anything. Oh and growing four human beings at once."

Felix and Marzia were staring open mouthed at me. I blushed. Jack came in just then, calling out as he opened the front door. "Hey guys! I'm back! Bloody arseholes never even showed up. I waited about half an hour for them and then split. I'd rather be snuggled with ye two anyway. Who's car is outside?" Jack finished pulling off his coat, hat and scarf, hanging them in the hall before stepping into the room. "Why are ye blushing, love? Did Mark say something?" I looked at him and shook my head, indicating Felix and Marzia with my eyes. He saw and looked over. "Felix?! Marzia? What are ye two doing here? We weren't expecting ye for another few days!"

Felix shook his head and looked at Jack. "Hey bro! We decided to come visit early. You didn't tell us your girlfriend was superhuman."

Jack chuckled. "What did she do now? She's supposed ta be resting."

I made a face and indignant noise. "I am. We were just explaining what I do at work. Oh, I remember what else I failed to mention before. I help Wade, Bob, Jack, and Mark with charity events, like the livestream we have planned for January Eighth. Has Wade called to talk to you about joining that yet, by the way? He was going to invite both of you and Ken and Mary, so we can promote it as having the new stars and the old on the TV show channel. Mark, Jack, and I are also doing vlogs to promote it, closer to time. I don't know what Molly, Wade, and Bob are doing yet."

Jack laughed. "Yer brain is always so busy. I'll never know how ye can keep track of all that and still not miss a beat in tha conversation. It's almost like ye could split into six people and still have all of have ta do three of four things at once ta keep up with ye. That's really tha biggest change for ye with tha pregnancy, having ta physically slow down a bit." I grinned and nodded. Suddenly, Stephanie kicked me hard, under Mark's arm. I winced and he felt it too. 

"Easy there, baby. Your momma doesn't need bruises. We know you're all in there. Calm back down. Should we tell Uncle Felix and Aunt Marzia your names now?" Three more feet joined. All four babies were moving and kicking, all be it more gently. Mark hummed a little bit and rubbed my belly again, soothing them back to a more restful state. "All right, we got the message." Jack came over and sat next to me, hugging me close. I shifted slightly so my head was now resting on his shoulder. He joined Mark in rubbing my belly gently. I smiled as the babies calmed down completely.

I looked at Marzia and Felix. "You ready to here our four little girls names?" They nodded excited. I could also see something in Marzia's eye and asked her, "Marzia, do you want to come feel the babies moving? They have settled down some, but they are still rolling around. Felix you can too if you want. Come on over. I suspect our little princesses are going to kick as soon as we say their names. They have each time we have so far, so get ready." Felix and Marzia came over feeling my baby bump. I moved their hands so they could feel the movements better and follow the babies as I said the names. "First, we have Danielle Melody. Oof. She's the one who likes to kick me in the ribs. Next on the right we have Tiana Esmeralda. She's much more calm, although, when she kicks, it's almost always hard and for a long time, unless she's playing with her daddies and following their hands. On the left, from the top, we have Samantha Alanna. She likes to punch and kick all the time. In the video, she's the baby who punched the camera." I paused. 

Jack grinned. "LIKE A BOSS!" we all laughed.

I nodded, patting him on the knee. "Yeah, like a boss. And finally, her twin sister, Stephanie Eileen. We are still trying to work out the last name situation, but we are pretty sure we want to got with McLoughlin for Samantha at least, because then we can call her Sam and her initials will also spell SAM." Jack kissed my head and moved his hands of my belly, hugging me again. Mark pouted slightly as Jack pulled me away a little, but he scooted closer to follow me. "Mark, dear, you don't have to pout, there's plently of me to go around. And I love you both, but you snuggled me the whole time Jack was gone, so if he wants a turn, he can have it. Jack don't gloat. I swear if you stick your tongue out at him, I'll move." Jack grinned a little guiltily. Mark stopped pouting and nodded, leaning on my side and humming to the babies instead.

Marzia and Felix grinned at me as they walked back to the seats they had been in before feeling the babies move. Felix spoke up next. "That was amazing. And you know you're going to be an excellent mom. You already sound like Mark's and Jack's mother sometimes."

I made a face. "Um, ew, no thanks. I like them as my boyfriends and daddies of my babies. I definitely don't want to think of them as my children." Jack chuckled against my back.

Felix shook his head. "I didn't mean it that way. I just meant you can keep them both in line, even before they act up." He looked at Marzia, a question in his eyes. She nodded a nearly imperceptible nod, but I caught it. "I hope we can do as good a job when it's time."

Mark and Jack looked confused as I grinned. "I thought so. Congrats you two! How far along are you, Marzia?"

Her smile was huge. "About two months. We couldn't wait to tell you guys. That's why we headed out early. I just got confirmation today from the doctor. We called our families on the way here, but you three are the first outside the direct family to know."

I nodded. "Seems fair. You were the first to know for us too. We hadn't even gotten the confirmation yet."

Felix held Marzia hands, but looked nervous. "To be honest, I'm terrified. What if we screw up?"

I looked at him sympathetically. "Fe, I swear, you're not going to be doing anything alone for a really long time. You'll have friends and family supporting you all the way through everything. Moving to LA will be great. You have even more friends around to help. Wade, Dan, Arin, Bob, Suzy, Molly, and Many have all signed on to help me, and I'm sure they'll help you too. We have so much support, it's unreal. And you can learn on our babies before your little one gets here. You'll know how to hold one, feed one, burp one, soothe one, and change a diaper before they even arrive. Does that help?"

Felix nodded, looking more relaxed. Then he chuckled. "You've never called me that before. I like it. Thanks for helping put me at ease [y/n]. You're good at that. And you're a really good listener."

Mark and Jack laughed. "Oh you have no idea, Felix. She listens to all our crap and helps us figure it out regularly. I swear she'd make an amazing counselor." I blushed a little. "And she's a really good secret keeper. And emotionally stable, even with all the hormonal hell she's been going through, she's only had like three melt downs, and they weren't bad. She just cried. She's really strong." Mark leaned up and kissed me on the cheek. I sighed. He snuggled closer. 

Jack added his two cents. "Yeah, she's perfect. Ye have no idea the stuff she's gone through, but ye'd never know from her attitude. I don't know what we did ta get her, but I'm super thankful for her." He kissed me as well.

Marzia and Felix were grinning at the guys mushy display and shared their own look of love. Suddenly, I yawned hugely. "Sorry. I'm tired a lot lately. Marzia, be prepared for that. I was shocked by how much more sleep I need now. I've never slept so much in my life." Marzia looked surprised and then nodded. Felix looked thoughtful. "Hey, where are you guys staying?"

They looked at each other. "We don't know yet. How far is it to the nearest hotel?"

Jack grimaced. "Hang on. It's way too far. Let me go ask Ma if ye can stay here. We have room, as long as ye don't stay past Monday. Mally and his family will be getting here then, and we'll be full up." Jack stood up and walked back to his parents' room, knocking gently before entering and talking to them for a few minutes. We waited quietly. Felix and Marzia looked relieved when Jack came back grinning and nodded. "It's fine with them, if ye don't mind tha room next ta us. But don't worry, we can be quiet when we have ta be."

They agreed to stay, and Jack helped them get the room set up with pillows blankets, fresh sheets, and showed them where the bathroom and fresh towels were. I leaned back into the couch and closed my eyes, resting until Jack came back. I didn't plan to fall asleep, and managed to keep myself awake. When he got back, I snuggled into him and got comfy. Mark shifted slightly, getting himself more comfortable as well. Marzia came back in the room. She sat down and looked at me for several seconds before speaking. "Guys, can I talk to her? Alone? I want to ask some questions about her pregnancy so far and get some advice and it might be embarrassing for you. Or her. Or me."

I waved a hand and made them stay. "Marzia, trust me. You need to get used to having no privacy. Your body is no longer your own for the next several months. Doctors are going to ask questions, people are going to come up and try to touch you, and you are going to need help with everything, or at least I do. Jack and Mark have to carry me around half the time right now and help me on and off the toilet for crying out loud. Ask your questions. They can leave if they get too embarrassed, but trust me, pregnancy is all about getting used to no privacy."

Marzia swallowed and nodded. "Okay." She took a deep breath and began. "How bad was your morning sickness? Mine isn't too bad yet, but I'm scared it could get really bad. My mom had a lot of trouble with it when she was pregnant with me. How did you manage it?"

Mark grinned. "Oh, her's was hell. She was sick all the time for a while. She had to go on medication for it. But before that, we got her something called 'Preggie Pops' that helped her a lot. They have a whole line of stuff besides the lollipops. Oh, and smells have been a big thing for her, ever since she got pregnant. She keeps saying how good we smell, or how calming our smell is, even though we don't smell any different than normal."

I smiled. "You two always smell good to me. It's just a lot stronger now that I'm pregnant. And Marzia, the smell thing doesn't go away after the morning sickness does. Everything smells stronger, at least for me. And you will find certain smells are almost irresistible." I smiled. "For example, Mark smells like cinnamon, wood smoke, and spices. It's a warm, comforting smell, and when I'm feeling cold, it makes me want to snuggle into him. Jack smells like rain, sugar, and growing things, particularly nature. Those smells remind me of happy times in my childhood, and make me want to snuggle with him. They will both tell you, I'm far more snuggly since I got pregnant. A lot of it is because of the way they smell and the warmth they provide. I was so rarely cold before I got pregnant. For a while afterward, it felt like I couldn't get warm. The last week and a half, though? I'm back to normal, or more normal, and don't need to bury myself in blankets and bodies to keep from feeling like I'm freezing to death." 

Jack looked surprised. "Really, love? Ye still snuggle us at every chance ye get, so I hadn't noticed. Had ye, Mark?"

Mark shook his head. "Not really." I yawned again. Mark looked at me and then Marzia, who looked like she was also fighting sleep. "Come on ladies. You can talk about pregnancy tomorrow. You both need your sleep now. Babe, do you want to ride in the wheel chair, or just have me carry you back?"

I looked at the door to our room, seeming so far away to me right now. "You can put me in the chair. I know I'm getting heavy."

Mark and Jack shook their heads. "Babe, you're pregnant, not heavy. Now, how about I just carry you tonight. Wrap your arms around my neck. That's a good girl. Night Marzia. Come on Jack. Can you get her laptop? I'm sure she's going to want it to look at Twitter before she goes to sleep." I snuggled into Mark's strong arms.

Marzia headed back to the room she and Felix were sharing, opening the door. I heard Felix greet her and she told him we were all heading to bed and why. Jack opened the door to his bedroom and Mark carried me in, almost as though I weighed nothing, instead of the heavier than normal amount I was currently at. Mark settled me on the bed and Jack helped me undress, grabbing a clean maternity nightgown and helping me into it, before they both lifted me up, moving me to the pillows at the top of the bed, in the center of the blanket fort. I smiled at them, sleepily, and grabbed my phone. I was too tired to turn my computer on. I checked a few things online and shut the phone off, curling into a comfortable position. Jack and Mark had headed off to the shower and by the time they got back, I was sound asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh, sweet, sweet fluff.
> 
> Everybody like the names? I do!
> 
>  
> 
> **NO CHAPTERS ON FRIDAY 8/12!!!! I'm having a spinal tap done at Hershey Medical, which will take at least 6 hours at the hospital and three hours of driving/ riding in the car. Not fun. :(**


	58. Christmas Eve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Malcolm and his family arrive. Time to get everything ready for Christmas!

Felix and Marzia stayed until Monday afternoon, visiting and talking about pregnancy fears and babies. Felix also got both men to talk about all the different things that had been stressing them, and he confided in them. They had gone out for a men's afternoon, as they insisted on calling it, so Marzia and I could have a 'girls day'. We giggled at their silliness after they left, but Marzia asked me a lot more personal questions, feeling far more comfortable without them around. I told her everything I could whenever she asked, but reminded her every woman and every pregnancy was different, at least from what the doctors and other mothers I had talked to had said. I also reminded her that I was carrying four babies, which would also make my experience a bit different then anyone else's.

We were sad to see them leave, but they promised to see us soon, since they were headed out to LA to look for a place to live in early January. Almost as soon as they left, Malcolm, his wife, Val, and their two kids, Dyan and Pearl, arrived. We welcomed them warmly, and I headed to the kitchen with the kids, teaching them how to make proper Christmas cookies, with Jack and Mark's help. Malcolm and Val got their belongings inside and unpacked for their stay before sitting down to talk with Jack's parents. They looked grateful for the breather. Dylan and Pearl were just turned twelve and nine, respectively, still willing to talk to us, even though they were starting to border into teenagers. Also, we had the draw of being young enough to play with, Internet famous, working on TV, and the babies coming. We were definitely the cool relatives. And teaching them how to make cookies was fun and something they wanted to do, making me even cooler for suggesting it. I had a lot of patience with kids (and childish adults), and didn't mind if a mess was made, as long as it got cleaned up properly and the one who made the mess was at least involved in the clean up. By the time the cookies were in the oven, Dylan and Pearl were covered in cocoa and flour, giggling like crazy, and sweeping the floors. Jack, who was also somewhat flour covered, was wiping the counter tops down. Mark was putting the unused ingredients away. I was watching, smiling and laughing as everyone talked at once. When the babies kicked me in the ribs for the millionth time that day, I winced and stretched trying to get more comfortable. I was starting to get worn out, but didn't want to call attention to myself or away from the fun. I swallowed the yawns that were bubbling up and rubbed the babies, trying to get them to move away from my ribs. Jack must have noticed something because he came over, kneeling down in front of me. "Love, are tha babies hurting ye again?" 

I sighed. "Yeah. They are all kicking my ribs today and it's really starting to hurt. But I don't want to drag you away from your niece and nephew. Everyone is having so much fun. I'm just trying to get the babies to move so they will either stop kicking me, or kick lower. I'll be okay though, either way. I just feel a little abused." I smiled at him, sweetly. 

Jack shook his head at me. "Come on, let's go. Ye need a more comfortable chair or a bed. Ye look exhausted. Did ye sleep alright last night love?"

I blushed. "Not really. The babies were kicking all night long and one of them had worked her way into an angle that when she kicked it compressed my lungs, making it hard to breath. She kept knocking the wind out of me all night, quite literally. I'm fine though, Jack. I can just stay right here and watch the fun. I don't need a babysitter."

Jack grinned. "Dylan and Pearl won't mind if their favorite uncle goes to take his beautiful girlfriend for a nap and comes right back, will ye kids?"

They looked at me, worry clear on their young faces. The babies kicked again, harder this time, and I visibly winced. Dylan came over. "What's wrong? Why'd ya flinch? Is somebody hurting ya?"

I smiled at him, his accent a combination of Irish and French that was heart-melting. "Yes. One of your little cousins in here is kicking me. Actually all four of them are, and it's somewhat painful when they all keep hitting the same spot over and over. Here, give me your hand for a minute, Dyl." I moved his hand so he could feel the kicks, just below where they were actually hitting on my ribs. His eyes got huge.

"Wow! That's a really strong baby." Pearl came over as well, crowding in so she could take a turn. I held her hand in the same spot after Dylan had stepped back to let her in. She giggled and ran over to Jack, hiding her face. Jack grinned at the kids. Dylan looked at me seriously as he could, young face looking far older than his age. "Ya should do what Uncla Jack tells ya. He's really smart. Dad says so all tha time." 

I smiled at him warmly. "Alright, alright. If everyone is going to gang up on me. Uncle Jack can take me for a nap. Mark can you help Dylan and Pearl make the frosting for when the cookies are cool? Thank you sweetie!" Pearl ran over to Mark and started telling him what colors she wanted to make, asking about sprinkles and colored sugars, and generally just clamoring for attention. Dylan tried to be a little cooler about it, walking over slowly, but the bounce in his step gave him away. Mark grinned and winked at me before starting to gather the decorating materials and ingredients he would need for the frosting. Jack grinned as well, coming around behind me to wheel me back to the bedroom.

He gently lifted me on to the bed, getting me comfortable. I smiled. "Thanks Jack. Sorry to crash like this on Christmas Eve, no less." 

Jack shook his head at me. "Love, ye can hardly help being this pregnant. Ye need yer rest. Now, I'm gonna sing ta the babies for a little while. Ye just rest. Close those beautiful eyes and relax, love. I got this." He sat down on the pillows we still hadn't put away beside the bed and started gently rubbing my belly, which was right in front of his face. He sang several songs quietly and I fell fast asleep, the babies finally soothed. I woke up to see Jack napping, his face gently pressed to my baby bump, making me smile. He looked so sweet and relaxed. I put my hand in his hair and just ran my fingers through it, playing with the green mop for several seconds, being careful not to wake him up. The babies were still being calm now as well. I saw three sets of eyes peek through the door and grinned. Dylan, Pearl, and Mark were spying on us. I waved with my free hand and put my finger to my lips, pointing to Jack. They all giggled and tiptoed in.

Mark whispered to me first. "Sorry, we just weren't sure what happened to Jack. He said he was coming right back, but then he was gone for a long time. Cookies are done by the way."

I smiled. "Jack was calming the babies down and singing to them. I'm not sure when he fell asleep, because I did too. I just woke up a minute ago. The babies are finally calm." I smiled at Jack. "He's so good to us." I looked up at Mark, who was looking at Jack fondly. "You are too Markimoo. I love you both."

Dylan made a gagging noise, which woke Jack up. "Sorry Uncla Jack. Aunt [y/n] was being lovey dovey." He made a disgusted face. "I didn't like it. I didn't mean ta wake ya up. Uncla Mark said ta be quiet too."

Jack grinned. Dylan at least had made Mark and I honorary family. "It's alright sport. I didn't mean ta fall asleep anyway. It was just so quiet, calm and peaceful, I couldn't help myself. Uncla Mark can ye help me up? My legs are asleep still." He winked at Mark. Mark helped him to his feet and steadied him until Jack was able to stand on his own. I grinned at them.

"I could use some help too. I need to get to the bathroom." I blushed a little as I sat up. Mark lifted me into the wheelchair and pushed me in the bathroom, lifting me down onto the toilet after I lowered my underwear and skirt. He waited patiently for me to finish, helped me back into the wheelchair, turned the water on and off so I could wash my hands, and wheeled me beck into the living room. Jack was already there, and jumped up, lifting me onto the couch, to snuggle next to him. "Thanks guys. For everything." Mark sat down on my other side and curled up into me, snuggling close. Jack did the same on his side, both men resting hands and arms on my baby bump. I smiled, leaning back into the couch. A minute later Jack grabbed a fuzzy blanket from behind him and pulled it over all three, well technically seven, of us before settling back into my side. We were all comfortable and warm, and joined the conversation with the adults. Malcolm had been watching us with a grin since we got in the room.

"So Sean, ye finally found a good one. Good on ye, bro."

Jack grinned at Malcolm. "Thanks. We're happy, mostly. It's been a little crazy lately, but we're happy. Ye look really good too, Mal. And Dylan and Pearl are great."

Malcolm grinned looking a lot like an older version of Jack. When the babies started kicking a few seconds later, they made both men jump, before they grinned and started rubbing my belly again. Malcolm, Ma, Pa, and Val all laughed at the startled expressions and jumpscare reactions they had just witnessed. Ma spoke up. "Are my grandbabbies kicking again?"

I nodded trying not to giggle. Malcolm voiced what he was thinking. "Jack, ye and Mark looked like ye had been goosed and scared at tha same time. Why'd ye jump so high?"

I answered as both men blushed. "I think they thought the girls were asleep. Jack finally got them calmed down by singing to them earlier, and all four kicked out at once. I'm used to it. They guys aren't. They have only just started to be able to feel the kicks recently, but in the last two weeks that we've been here, the girls' kicks have gotten much, much stronger. And they managed to kick both Mark and Jack at the same time. It felt like all eight feet kicked out to me, but I'm not sure." I grinned. "We figured out names for the girls last week, did we tell you?" When Malcolm and Val shook their heads, I told them the names. They smiled happily. "Oh, and we have a video from when I was in the hospital after we got to Ireland." They wanted to see it, and I could see Jack's parents wanted to watch it again as well. I popped it in the DVD player and we watched the girls moving around. It was an odd experience for me, knowing they had grown since then and seeing them moving on screen, yet moving in different directions and ways in my belly now. Jack and Mark were quietly humming something to the girls, just soothing them, rubbing gently patterns on my tummy. Dylan came in the room to ask a question and forgot all about it when he saw the movie. He gasped, ran down the hall, and brought Pearl out to watch it. We all smiled and watched the video several times.

Pearl's eyes were huge as she looked at me afterward. "Were those tha babies?" I nodded, gently smiling. "Did ya swallow a camera ta take a picture?"

I giggled. "No Pearl. The doctors have a special way to take the pictures with sound waves so the babies don't get hurt and so we can see them. It's a sound that we can't even hear, but makes a picture on the screen, like sonar for a bat."

Pearl looked at me for a minute and nodded. "I wanna do that when I grow up. Or go to space." We all grinned, especially Mark, Jack, and I. 

I leaned over and whispered to Mark "She's going to love your song when she hears it, babe." Mark laughed and kissed me.

Dylan made a face again. "Eeew. Do ya have ta kiss her? I mean, I get it, ya love her and all, but it's kinda gross when old people kiss." He blushed. "Not that ya are all that old. But I related ta ya, and..." He shuddered. "It's like thinking about Dad kissing someone." 

We all chuckled. Malcolm turned to his son. "Thanks Dylan. I love ta hear I can creep ye out." He winked at us and pulled Val in for a kiss, making Dylan leave the room making gagging noises. Pearl looked at them and smiled. Then she wandered off, looking for Dylan again. We smiled as we watched her go. Conversation drifted between kids and work, coming to a brief halt when I was asked to describe exactly what I did. Malcolm stared at me open-mouthed for a few seconds then started to laugh. "Oh, Jackaboy, ye found a lass who can run ye into the ground if she wants. Good thing too, with four babies coming. This is going ta be interesting ta watch." Val, who seemed really nice, but was very quiet, nodded agreement. Ma and Pa were just shaking their heads at me.

I chuckled. "A lot of our friends, and these two guys, often call me a superhuman or Superwoman. I just like to keep busy, that's why I'm having trouble jus sitting around doing nothing right now. I'm usually up to my eyebrows in everything. And I love it, it keeps me from overthinking things. Now, I can't do as much as usual, but I still keep busy with my vlogs, animation, and YouTube stuff the best I can. I miss being able to cook or even get up and go to the bathroom by myself, but I want to keep the girls safe, so I'm doing exactly what the doctors are telling me." I sighed. Suddenly something occurred to me. "Hey Mark, Jack, we are going to have a HUGE project to do on Thursday. I need you both to help me film unboxing videos for all the fan made stuff I've gotten for the babies. From what Danica told me in the email yesterday, my storage unit is nearly full and we are getting more everyday. I had Adam and Gary start checking your PO Boxes after our announcement vlog and they emailed me to say that you've both been getting a lot too. Where the hell are we going to put everything? I mean I know I said the extras were going to go to St. Jude's, but even so, it sounds like a really big project. I hope you two are up for it."

Jack looked at me. "When did ye have time to contact all the editors? And how did ye know we'd be getting stuff?"

I smiled. "Sweetheart, I'm on the computer and my phone a lot. What exactly do you think I'm doing? I knew you would be getting a lot of stuff because I'm getting so much. The fans are always super generous, and since the TV show started and announced a PO Box they were providing, you both have been getting stuff. I was checking it about once a week, but I knew that it would need emptied more after the fans knew about the babies being yours. Danica has to empty mine at least once a day. She said she's even had to go up a little from that the last two weeks, since now I'm getting stuff from fans of you and Mark." I leaned over and kissed him. "That's part of managing the extras I have been doing since the show started. Or didn't you notice?"

Jack and Mark both blushed slightly. Mark spoke up. "No, we didn't notice, or know. I had wondered a few times how you were getting the fan stuff to us, but never enough to think about it and actually register that you might have to do something. I thought maybe it was just being sent directly to the studio and forwarded to the office."

"Nope. I've been handling it ever since the pilot of the show aired in September." I smiled. "But don't worry. It hasn't been that strenuous. Clearly if I could do it without you even noticing, it hasn't been that big a deal. Ever since Danica started, I was actually having her do it, at least until I started getting flooded with so much stuff." I looked over at Jack's family. "We always get fan mail and gifts, and at the conventions, these two get boxes and boxes of stuff. They go through it all and read every letter." I looked back down at them, love shining in my eyes. "The fans love you both for that, you know. You are both so involved in your communities, which is the way I try to be as well." I put an arm around each of them, still curled up against my baby bump, giving two one-armed hugs at the same time. "Anyway, yeah, I do a lot for work and managing these two. But I love everything I do. Malcolm, I know you're a writer, how's that going?"

Conversation drifted away from me and on to Malcolm, then Val, and finally other topics all together. Ma and Val got up at one point to go make dinner, leaving the men and me to chat, and the conversation shifted slightly to books. I was a big reader and so were Malcolm and Pa. Mark and Jack, although they didn't read all the time, enjoyed the occasional book, but mostly they just listened, hummed to the babies quietly, and rubbed my belly. Dinner was a wonderful meal, everyone crowding around the table. Ma and Val had made a delicious chicken casserole, spinach salad, and there was cake for dessert. 

Jack grinned. "Ye make all my favorites whenever I'm home Ma. Thanks, I always notice and appreciate it, even if I don't comment every single time." I grinned at him and winked. "Ye cook my favorites too love. And ye've taught me how ta make them too. But I was thanking Ma."

Jack's mother grinned at him. "Ye're welcome Jack. And I think ye're girlfriend was just teasing ye." She turned to me. "Good on ye. And good on ye for teaching him ta cook the food he likes. He wasn't a bad cook before, but he didn't know many different dishes." She looked at him and sighed. "Ye never seemed interested in learning more either."

Jack flushed a little. "[Y/n] is a good teacher. She's really patient and would make the food either way, so I have been helping her, at least until she had ta stop cooking recently. Now Mark and I are so used to cooking with her that she can just tell us what ta do, and we can do it without her havin' ta move."

Pa winked at me. "Like Ma said. Good on ye for training them up proper. Smart lass."

We all chuckled as Mark and Jack blushed at that. Conversation drifted to something Dylan said. I lost track because I was trying not to wince as the babies were punching and kicking me in the bladder and ribs. After dinner, I was still quiet, focused on getting the girls calm again, but not having any luck. I suggested we all sing Christmas carols, and everyone agreed. Pa lit a fire in the fireplace, Ma turned the tree lights on, and we all gathered around in the living room, with Jack, Mark, and I snuggled together on the couch again, stringing cranberries and popcorn to replace the garland that had been accidentally destroyed earlier in the day when Pearl tripped and crashed into the tree, getting tangled in the string. The girls shifted and calmed slightly at the sounds of everyone singing and I breathed a quiet breath of relief. Jack, Mark, and I headed back to bed early, the guys looking as tired as I felt, or nearly so. We all climbed in our pillow and blanket fort, checking our phones one last time, and fell asleep quickly snuggling together. Even the babies were quiet and slept all night, letting me get restful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: No chapters of anything out this Friday 8/12. I'll be gone all day, getting a damn spinal tap. :(


	59. Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas gifts, quality family time, and flying home to LA.

I woke up quite early the morning of Christmas, to the girls kicking away and a very full bladder. I rolled over slightly, waking Jack and Mark accidentally. Jack opened his eyes and grinned at me. "Mornin' love. Did ye sleep better last night?"

I smiled. "Yes, I did. The girls just woke me. Well, that and a very full bladder. I think they must know it's Christmas too and want in on whatever's going on. Can you help me to the bathroom please?"

Jack kissed my nose. "Anything for the momma of our babies, especially when she looks so sweet and cuddly. We should get up anyway. Ma and Pa always get up early for Christmas and everyone will be here by eight. My siblings are mostly mornin' people. Well, they are now. They weren't when they were kids. Pearl will probably get up early as well." **_{A/N-- Pearl, Dylan, and Val are Malcolm's real life family members and I am using the correct ages for the kids. Pearl is a special needs child, so she is being written acting younger than her real age. Just a heads up and little explanation. Malcolm's book, The Second Lap is the source for much of the information on Jack's family that I have found. :) Not being a creepy stalker, just an avid reader. I actually have read it, before I realized he was Jack's brother. When I saw that mentioned online, I went back and reread it.}_** Jack looked at Mark and I for a minute. "Thanks fer not making a big deal about Pearl. Not that I thought ye would, but I didn't even think ta warn ye both. So thanks."

I smiled at him. "Jack, why would we say anything? I mean we all have things we can't help. And Pearl is a sweetheart." I kissed him. "Just like you. Now, please help me up to go to the bathroom. It's really starting to get to be desperate here."

Mark chuckled behind me and helped Jack get me maneuvered into the chair, into the bathroom and onto the toilet. Once I was finished, I sighed with relief and washed my hands. They helped me out into the living room. I had told them while I was using the bathroom that I wasn't going to change out of the comfy pajamas I had on for a while. Besides, I had a long robe that covered me over top and I knew we were all going to end up in a group snuggle on the couch anyway. I would shower and change closer to lunchtime, just like my family did traditionally. I sighed, this was the first year I was going to miss the family Christmas since I was little and a freak snowstorm kept us housebound for the entire Christmas break from school. I knew my family understood, but I still missed them. I gave Mark an extra hug as he settled me in on the couch. He smiled at me. "Well, good morning to you too, babe. Or was there another reason behind that?"

I looked over at him as he settled in beside me. "Just thinking about my family and how much I hate the fact I have to miss the big family Christmas. It made me think about how much you must miss your mom and brother too." I turned to Jack, who was settling in next to me. "Don't get me wrong sweetie, I love your family too, but this is the first Christmas without my family for me since we got snowed in when I was in third grade. I'll have to call them around bedtime tonight. Hopefully somebody will have a computer and we can all Skype for a little while." I smiled, slightly wistfully. Sam decided she was going to start kicking again and much harder. Jack, who was sitting on my left again winced a little as he felt her slamming her hand or foot into my side repeatedly. "Calm down Sammigirl. You're making Mommy's side hurt again. And you're attacking so hard Daddy can feel it and he's not even snuggled in that close yet. You'll wear yourself out and hurt one of us. Easy. We know you're there." I put my hand on the spot and she kicked again. I rubbed the spot a little, but she didn't stop. Jack grinned and leaned close, whispering and humming to her, trying to calm her. It didn't work this morning. He looked grumpy, making me grin. "Ah, the magic Daddy powers are just as faulty as the Mommy powers this morning. Sorry Jack." 

He crossed his arms and stuck his tongue out at me. "Ye don't sound it. Hmph. And here I was, tryin' ta help."

Mark laughed. "Maybe she would have been more sympathetic if it had worked. Besides, we 'helped' before and that's why she's currently in a wheelchair, pregnant." I giggled.

A small voice behind us said, "What does that mean Uncla Mark? What did ya and Uncla Jack do?" I giggled again as both men blushed and floundered, lost.

Finally I took pity on them. "They fell in love with me. And they both wanted to be with me, so I'm having both of their babies. We just got more babies than we had ever imagined."

Pearl nodded at me. "Oh, okay. Can we turn tha tree on now? I want ta look at tha lights. Daddy said I couldn't wake anyone up, but ya were already here."

I gave Jack a nudge. "Uncle Jack will help you sweetie. Are you warm enough, or do you need to go put a robe and slippers on?"

Pearl looked down at her bare feet. "I better get my slippers. Mama might get mad otherwise. Thank you for reminding me Aunt [y/n]!"

She raced down the hall and was back in a flash, robe and slippers in hand. "No problem, sweetie. Now, do you want to watch some cartoons with us?"

Pearl giggled. "But, ya are growed up. Growed ups don't watch cartoons."

I smiled at her and winked. "We do. Actually, we do all the time. Sometimes, it's hard to tell we're grown-ups." Mark and Jack chuckled, nodding.

Pearl smiled sweetly. "Okay then. Ya can even pick." She handed the remote to me. I smiled and she sat down on a pillow at my feet, snuggling against my legs. I turned on the TV and found some cartoons. Spongebob was on, so I left it on that, much to Pearl's delight.

"Pearl, sweetie, would you like me to brush your hair for you?" She nodded and I asked Mark to get a hairbrush for me. I brushed her hair out until all the bedhead was gone and it was smooth, straight, and untangled. Then I absentmindedly started braiding it. Her hair was long enough to wrap around her head in a crown when I was done, so I did, grabbing a mirror from my purse and showing her. She clapped her hands and grinned.

"Ooh! That's fancy. Thank you!" She gave me a careful hug. I hugged her back and she settled down at my feet again to watch cartoons until everyone got up. I snuggled with Jack and Mark while we waited, occasionally playing with their hair as well. Mark got up at one point and made coffee, tea, and got juice for Pearl and I, but mostly we just sat, watching cartoons, snuggling, and looking at the tree. Malcolm came out a short while later, when he heard the cartoons on. He saw us first and grinned.

"Did Pearl wake ye up? I told her ta be quiet and I'm sure she tried, but she can't always manage too well." He stepped around the couch and saw her cuddling my legs and her fancy hairdo. He grinned at me. "Now who fixed her hair I wonder?"

I grinned, but Pearl answered. "It was Aunt [y/n]! And she and Uncla Jack and Uncla Mark were already up when I got out here. She made me go get my slippers and robe, so I wouldn't be too cold. See!" She stood up and spun in a circle. "Then she offered ta brush my hair. When I said yes, she got all tha tangles out and started making it all fancy like this. Can ya do that Daddy? And she picked out some fun cartoons ta watch and had Uncla Jack turn tha tree on, and had Uncla Mark get us some juice. We're being really quiet." She sat back down and cuddled into my legs again, forgetting about everything but the cartoons after her outburst.

Malcolm grinned. "I see. Well, no baby, I can't do hair like that." He winked at me. "Glad ta see ye found someone who could." She acted like she didn't even hear him. He chuckled. "Zoned me out completely. Thanks for that, by tha way. Ye're really good with her." His face lost some of it's good humor and amusement. "Not everyone is." Then he got a wicked look in his eye. "But I should have figured ye ta be. Ye deal with Jackaboy everyday."

I grinned and Jack made an outraged noise, making Mark snort a laugh out, which distracted Pearl, drawing her attention back to us. "Is Uncla Mark okay? That didn't sound good."

I looked at Pearl, serious faced. "I think he sneezed funny. He should be okay in a minute. You can go back to your cartoons, sweetie."

She took one more look at him and patted his hand. "Bless ya." Then she turned around and was lost in cartoon space again. 

Malcolm grinned at me. "Ye're a quick one, lass. I'll grant ye that."

I laughed. "Of course I am. Just ask these two. I even diverted attention away from awkward questioning earlier about babies without breaking a sweat or lying to her. These two idiots froze up completely. And they were the ones who started down that path in the first place. They just didn't know Pearl was standing there."

Malcolm laughed, his eyes alive with merriment. "Yeah, that sounds like something Jack would do."

He made a face. "Hey, I was actually innocent on that one. It was all Mark." Mark blushed and nodded. Malcolm grinned and we heard the doorbell ring. He straightened up to go answer it. We heard the shrieks of more of Jack's nieces and nephews, which were followed by the other McLoughlin siblings. Before long, everyone was up, the TV was turned off, and the kids were all gathered around the tree, staring at the presents, lights, and decorations, waiting for permission to tear into everything.

I looked around. "What's the usual order of the day? Who hands out the presents and in what order?"

Jack blinked at me. "What? What do you mean?"

I grinned and clapped my hands together twice loudly. Everyone looked at me. "Okay, I say we get the present unwrapping started, but Jack here tells me you guys don't have any plan for how to do it. My family is always organized about that, and I have an idea here too. It makes it more fun for everyone to watch and the presents last a LOT longer during opening. How does that sound to everyone? Good? Okay, here's what I suggest. Dylan, you're in charge of handing out presents to everyone. Only one person goes under the tree for anything. That's all you buddy. You hand out one present to everybody first. We go around the room taking turns opening, so we can get reaction pictures and video if anyone wants it. Then the next round is just you, Pearl, and your cousins. Then after that it goes back to everyone. We switch back and forth until everybody has opened everything. And Dyl, if you see someone has more presents than another person, you can use your judgement and hand out extras, especially if somebody is getting a bigger gift and the person getting more than one item is getting smaller stuff. Got it? Great! Pearl, you get a job as well. You're in charge of collecting the paper after everyone is done in a bag to get rid of later." I looked at the other kids. "You guys are all in charge of keeping your gifts together and rounding up all the ribbons, bows, boxes, and bags. Think you can do it? Than let's get to it everyone!"

Pearl looked up at me and grinned. "What are tha growed ups going ta do?"

I patted her head. "We're in charge of taking pictures, videos, making breakfast, and a big dinner later sweetie. That's why you guys are in charge of presents."

She looked serious for a minute as she considered this. "Oh, that makes a lot of sense. Why didn't we do that before?"

Jack answered grinning. "Because we aren't good at organizing anything. That's why we need Aunt [Y/N] ta help me and yer Uncle Mark. She's amazing, practically a superhero!"

All Jack's nieces and nephews giggled and looked at me, awed, except Dylan. He just looked amused and slightly impressed that I got everything in order so quick. Mark leaned over to whisper in my ear. "I love your organizational skills. And so many other things about you. Now, come snuggle me. You look too soft and comforting for me not to want to pull you in closer." I shifted slightly, leaning into him more, as he requested. I ended up turned sideways, with both Mark and Jack under my bottom and legs, snuggling each other and me, holding me on the couch. I curled up into them as much as I could, tucking my head in between their shoulders and just relaxing while Dylan handed out presents. I had smuggled the presents I had gotten everyone under the tree with Marzia's help. Jack and Mark didn't even know I had gotten them anything, but I had gotten each of them several games and new customized controllers. I wasn't expecting anyone to have gotten me anything, so when Dylan handed me the first box, I was surprised and happy. I had made Mark take me shopping while we were in Athlone and Jack was packing boxes, for a little while, and found a few extra gifts for Jack's nieces and nephews. Dylan was getting a couple of books on web design, animation, and video editing, something he had expressed an interest in before, over Skype to Jack, when I was in earshot. Pearl was getting two new dolls and clothes for them. Jack's other nieces and nephews were getting Lego sets and video games that were age appropriate and, I hoped, matched their interests. Malcolm and Val were harder, so I got them a shared gift, a couples retreat weekend at a hotel not too far from where they lived. Susan and Paul were getting one as well, for a hotel and spa closer to them. Alison and Simon were getting gift cards to Amazon from me, because I couldn't find exactly what I wanted for them. Ma and Pa were getting plane tickets to come visit us in LA from all three of us. They were open ended and first class. We hoped they would us them to come visit around the time the babies came. I had also gotten a small Christmas tree ornament made for them with all four babies names and ultrasound pictures.

Jack and Mark didn't know about these gifts, other than the presents for the littlest family members that they saw me purchase and wrap. I smiled as I saw Jack and Mark had both received gifts from me first. They hugged me while we waited our turn, the unwrapping starting with the youngest family members and moving up. When it got to the adults were going to flip it, so Jack's parent's opened gifts first. Our little group would be last. We all smiled and I snuggled into my boyfriends as close as I could, wrapping the fluffy red blanket around us. I was extremely comfortable, feeling love and joy just overflowing from everyone here. Suddenly it occurred to me that a year ago I hadn't know a single one of these people, and now we were family. I was startled by that revelation. Ma and Pa opened their joint present from Mark, Jack, and I first thing. They were over the moon excited, especially when we explained they were open ended, so they could leave anytime from either end, without paying a penalty, and they would have a place to stay when they came out to see us. Their joy just was amazing to see and made me so happy I nearly cried. Finally, it was time for Mark and Jack to open their gifts. I was chosen to decide who would open first. "Okay guys. Here's how I suggest we do it. Mark, you open first this time, Jack you can next time. Just flip it back and forth. Okay?"

Jack grinned and kissed me. "Sure love. Ye know ye didn't have ta get us anything, right? I mean ye are already getting us the best gift ever, a family and four babies. That was more than either of us expected."

I grinned and fluffed his hair. "Just wait until after you open these gifts to tell me that. I can take them back if you want..." Mark laughed and started ripping the package open, excitedly. His jaw dropped when he saw the custom controller with his channel logo and warfstaches all over it . He almost jumped up, until he realized he would have to move me first, settling back in place quickly, but lifting me into a very lovely kiss. I grinned at him. "I take it you like it Markimoo?"

"Babe, it's awesome! And I needed a new Steam controller. But how did you get this here without us knowing?"

I laughed. "I have my ways. Now it's Jack's turn." Jack was already tearing into his, clearly hoping for something similar. When he saw it, covered his distinctive JSE and SepticEye Sams, he pulled me in for a kiss as well. I had managed to get his in a dark blue, making the green of his icons pop even more. Mark's was a dark green, almost black, color, complimenting the colors of his icons. It was also their favorite colors, from what I had heard them say before. They were comparing them back and forth almost giddy with glee. I laughed. "So I did good?"

They both leaned in, kissing me again for an answer. "It's perfect love, ye knew what we needed better than we did."

I chuckled. "Good. I got you a few other things as well, but these were the big surprise. Now, it's my turn. Let's see what we've got here..." I turned it over in my hands a few times, noting it was from Susan and Paul. I tore the paper back, revealing a very nice WiFi capable baby monitor, with up to four separate channel inputs, allowing us to put all four babies on different channels and monitor them at the same time from one device. I grinned and thanked them, as did Jack and Mark. Dylan passed gifts out again, this time making sure all the nieces and nephews got a present from me. They were all super excited, so much so that they nearly left the room to go play with the new toys before they finished unwrapping anything else. 

Susan winked at me. "Ye're the new favorite relative [Y/N]. Between the thoughtful gifts ye planned for us grown ups and the perfect gifts for tha kids, ye nailed Christmas this year." 

Malcolm nodded, adding his two cents worth. "Yup. And ye watch cartoons with them, are Uncle Jack's girlfriend, are patient enough to teach them ta cook, and did a fancy new hairstyle for Pearl. Ye're definitely the favorite. That's besides the babies."

Jack smiled at me. "Ye're my favorite lady too."

Mark grinned. "Me too, me too!"

The kids were still comparing toys and squealing about how cool they were as Dylan passed out the next round of gifts. I had noticed he was setting all his aside to open at the end, clearly not expecting anything interesting. "Hey Dyl, can you make sure to open one from me soon? I want to make sure what I got you is something you'll like. If not, I can return it and exchange it for something else." Pearl was brushing her new dolls hair, somewhat clumsily, but grinning widely. I could see that was a hit.

Dylan looked at me surprised. "Ya didn't need ta get me anything. I hadn't even met ya until yesterday. How could ya possibly know what I'm interested in? Or did ya just guess generic things for people my age?"

I gave him an enigmatic smile. "You'll just have to look and see, Dyl. But answer this question for me. I hadn't met Pearl until yesterday either and how did I find presents that were exactly suited to her, including things in her favorite colors? How did I do it for your younger cousins, without I might add, asking anyone's parents?"

He looked at me startled and turned and accusing glare at the adults across the room, who shook their heads. He turned to Jack. "Did ya blab about me?"

Jack grinned. "Sorry, laddie, I didn't even know she was buying ME a present. How would I have know she had plans for ye?"

Dylan looked truly confused now and very suspicious. I was smiling mysteriously still. He walked over to his presents, which he had set aside together at the beginning. "Do ya mind if I open these three from Aunt [Y/N] all together now? I haven't opened anything at all yet, and I'll wait on everything else until the end, if ya say yes." 

I winked at the other adults. "I say sure. But you might want to open the gifts from Mark and Jack before the very end as well. I picked those out as well, with their help, and they wrapped them. Just wait until it's your turn again, sweetie."

The other adults nodded. Dylan looked at his little cousins, they were in no rush, still hugging the last round of presents. Even Pearl stood up and walked over to Dylan, handing him the first package with a smile on her face. He ducked his head and thanked her. He started opening the package, slowly. He could tell it was a book and started to groan, until he suddenly got the cover clear. His jaw dropped. "Animation? How ta make animations and drawings?! And it comes with software!? Holy crap!!" Malcolm cleared his throat warningly. "Sorry Aunt Susan, Uncla Paul." He turned back to me suddenly and ran over at full speed hugging me tightly. The babies kicked then, surprising him. "Oof. Sorry babies. Ya didn't need ta kick me." He looked at me his eyes shining. "How did ya know? I never mentioned this ta anyone! Not even Uncla Jack! Oh my god, what else did ya get me?!?" He ran back over and ripped into the other two packages with more enthusiasm and glee than I had seen from him ever before. When he opened the book on web design he actually got so excited he fell over, tripping on his feet. He blushed and hugged the book, opening it up carefully to look at the information within. I was hopeful it wouldn't be too advanced for him, but I knew from what Malcolm and Jack had said before he was a good student and I felt like it would be better to get him a good book on the subject that was a little too hard now, than a book that was too dumbed down and stupid that didn't help him. He opened the third gift almost reverentially. When he saw the topic of video editing, and a letter in the front from me with a 'cheat sheet' of tips, along with a copy of the software I used, he actually looked at me with tears of joy in his eyes. "These are all perfect. How on earth did ya do it? I never told anybody about wanting ta do this stuff. No body." He looked down again. "Thank ya so much. Ya're amazing."

I chuckled a little. "Thank you sweetheart. And as for how I knew, I do have a little confession. I heard you asking your Uncle Jack a few questions about what he did and what I did before I met you. I guessed this was where your interest was from that. I mean I figured you were probably interested in video games as well, but the questions you asked seemed to be more about how hard the technical stuff was not about what it was like to get paid to play games."

Jack and Dylan both stared at me open mouthed. "Ya got it dead right. And I just mentioned that to him once a few months ago when he called ta tell Dad he was dating ya and Uncla Mark."

I nodded. "I remember." Dylan was very impressed. He passed the gifts out again for the next two rounds and sat down to admire and look at his new treasures.

Jack leaned forward slightly and whispered directly in my ear. "Ye never cease ta amaze me love. That was incredibly thoughtful. Everything ye have gotten has been. No wonder everyone loves ye." He placed a sweet kiss on my cheek and settled back, leaning once more into into the couch and Mark. I turned to them both and smiled at them, moving their hands to my baby bump again. The girls were gently moving, but not kicking hard. It felt like one of them had the hiccups too. She was gently bumping as she rolled and the feeling was odd. I wondered if the guys would be able to feel her movements. They grinned, making me think they must be able to. I snuggled back against them and got a little more comfortable. We watched as the kids all opened their next presents.

Pearl opened her second present from me and started crying. "These are tha nicest dollies I've ever h-had. A-and they are so p-pretty. Thank you Aunt [y/n]! A-a-and thank you f-for the doll cl-clothes. How did ya know m-my favorite colors?"

I smiled at her. "You're very welcome sweetie! I liked those colors too when I was your age and I double checked with your Daddy and your Uncle Jack to make sure you liked them as well. Maybe later I can show you how to do her hair like I did yours this morning." She beamed at me and nodded, hugging both dolls as tightly as she could. I smiled and looked at Susan's and Paul's kids. "And I am quite good at building Lego masterpieces if anyone is interested. Or doing some other little girls hair, if they ask nicely. After presents and breakfast though. Now whose turn is it to open a gift?" 

Mark patted me on the back. "You're going to be such a good mom. You're already really good with kids."

"Thank you Markimoo. You and Jack are going to be good dads too. I think we're going to be okay." 

Jack's parents were opening a present from Susan and Paul, a pair of inexpensive, but nice, tablets, so they could each go online from anywhere. They thanked them quite profusely and set the devices down next to the plane tickets from Jack, Mark, and I. Susan and Paul opened their gift from me next. They looked surprised and quite touched by the thoughtfulness of the gesture, admitting it was their favorite getaway location when they could afford to go and didn't want to go far. Jack's parent promised to watch the kids as an extra present to Susan and Paul so they could enjoy the gift, guilt and worry free, as long as Susan and Paul didn't wait too long, since they wanted to come over for a visit to LA when it was closer to time for the babies to get here. Susan immediately agreed, and I had the feeling she would be taking her parents up on that before January was over. Meanwhile, I was ecstatic, having given another well received gift. Malcolm and Val were equally happy when they opened their gift from me next. When Simon and Alison grabbed their gifts from me, I apologized up front. "Alison, Simon, listen, I'm really, really sorry I couldn't find the perfect gift for you. I feel a little guilty. Everyone else's gifts were so made to order. I just wasn't able to find what I wanted for you, so I got you those gift cards instead. I'll try to do better next year. The pregnancy and my health has really slowed me down."

Alison, who had just opened he gift card, jumped in surprise. "What did ye do, lass? Ye didn't need ta get me anything, let alone this! This is amazing. I can buy what I need most, and still have plenty left ta buy some fun things as well. Ye're too generous." She shook her head. 

Simon quickly opened his as well. "Four hundred pounds worth of Amazon credit? Lass, are ye sure?"

I smiled and nodded at both of them. "Merry Christmas. And don't worry, I can certainly afford that." Everyone stared at the gift cards, startled for a minute. 

Jack slid around behind me and whispered, "Oh yeah, ye win Christmas this year, no question."

Jack and Mark each had one more box from me, which they opened next. Inside were five new games each and something I had hand made for each of them. They nearly dropped their boxes when they saw them. Jack had gotten a pair of SepticEye Sams with tiny pink bows, made into hooked drops that could be worn as either earrings or on a chain around his neck, and two matching men's rings, each with one of the babies names on them. Mark had gotten four little Tiny Box Tims with the girls names, made to look kind of like dog tags, to be worn under his shirt. They too had the girls names on them and tiny pink warfstaches, instead of bows, but placed to look like hair ribbons. Both men were speechless for a long time afterward, just hugging me in thanks and immediately putting them on. 

I opened my present from Simon next, a lovely set of earrings, matching necklace, and ring, in silver. It was a Celtic knot pattern, and one I thought was particularly attractive. I thanked him several times, until he blushed and waved me off. Everyone continued opening presents until everything was opened, nearly an hour later. Then Ma, Susan, Simon, and Alison headed into the kitchen to make breakfast. Mark, Jack, and I were waved off when we offered to help, as were Malcolm and Val and Pa. We were assigned to watch the kids and light a fire in the fireplace. Pa did that right away. Simon was in charge of getting everyone drinks, toast, and fruit this morning while the ladies made eggs, waffles, and bacon. While breakfast was cooking, I moved positions and asked Susan's two little daughters to come over so I could do their hair. They bounced over and soon had their own crowns of braids on their heads, much to their delight and amazement. They ran off to show their mom and dad, as well as anyone else who would look. I asked Pearl to come over so I could show her how to do it on her dolls. She grinned and came at a run, cradling her dolls in either arm, like babies. I showed her how to hold the brush, how to brush all the hair until it was smooth, soft, and silky, how to divide the hair into three sections, and how to do a simple braid. I made sure to watch her do it three times before I was convinced she had mastered it, and then I showed her how to make it into the crown on the top of the dolls head. When she did it, she beamed, practically glowing with pride. I leaned forward and whispered, "You know what that means, Pearl? You could show your Mommy and Daddy how to do that to your hair again later, after you go home. Then you could wear it like this again, even when I'm not here to fix it for you."

Pearl's eyes got huge and she jumped up and down clapping. Then she ran off with her dolls to show her daddy just what I had showed her. He smiled and me and mouthed a 'Thank you', which I waved off. Pearl really was a sweet little girl and I was happy to spend time with her. I looked over at Dylan who was reading his new books, almost hungrily. I smiled at him. "Hey Dyl, if you ever have any questions about any of that stuff, let me know. If I can't help you directly, I know a few other people who we live close to, who are close friends who would probably be willing to answer some questions. The biggest thing to remember about any of this stuff is it takes some time and practice to learn, and you will not start out fast. Speed is built up over time."

He looked up at me and a huge smile broke across his face. "Thanks. I'm a little lost on some of this stuff, but I was hoping it would start to make sense soon. If I still have questions later, I am definitely coming to you. I've seen some of your stuff, and it's incredible."

I blushed a little. "It's not that good. I'm still learning animation myself, but I'm not bad either. And I understand the theory and concepts really well. I don't mind teaching you, even if it's just over Skype and emails either. And there are no dumb questions, if you don't understand something ask! It's how you learn, after all." He nodded, still smiling and dived back into his books. Susan's younger son came over and held out his arms, wanting to snuggle with me, so I helped him onto the couch, next to Jack and cuddled him in close, letting him feel the babies as they moved around. He was enchanted and kept leaning over to talk to them, loudly. We told him the babies could hear him, even if he was quiet, but we didn't quite manage to convince him before brunch was ready. Alison came out and ordered everyone back to wash up and then to come get plates. Since today was Christmas, we were all going to eat in the living room, watching Christmas movies. I smiled. Just like my family.

We had a quiet afternoon, filled with Lego creations, doll tea parties, and Christmas movies. In other words, family stuff. The other ladies all excused themselves to go make the dinner, but refused to let me, Jack, or Mark help in any way, telling us to have fun with the kids instead. Eventually we relaxed and did exactly that, until I started to fall asleep and Mark and Jack made me go lay down to rest for a few hours in the afternoon. I was faintly surprised when they joined me. We had a short nap and I insisted on packing our bags up, so we could leave early the next day. None of us were particularly looking forward to the early flight we had booked, but I knew we needed to get back and I wanted to make sure we didn't forget anything. Dinner was nearly ready when we finally emerged and Jack and Mark pushed me to the table after a quick bathroom trip and hand washing. They started setting the table, bring in the smaller table that the kids were all going to sit at. Dylan was very proud, he had been promoted this year to the adults table. Dinner was roast turkey and a ham, allowing everyone to take what they wanted from either, and all the trimmings. I had turkey, dressing, green bean casserole, and a salad. I also ate a couple of rolls. Jack and Mark keep pushing me to drink more, so I had several glasses of the very excellent (nonalcoholic) mulled apple cider as well. I stopped eating when I was full, knowing I would have terrible heartburn otherwise from the girls pushing on my stomach and crowding my midsection. Before we knew it dinner was over and everyone who wasn't staying overnight, was gathering their presents to head home for the night. Mark, Jack, and I wished them all merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and a very good night. We promised to call them soon as well. Almost as soon as they left, Ma was pushing us back to bed, knowing we had an early flight. Simon promised to be ready by five, to leave for the airport and offered to have us load our bags tonight. Mark and Jack agreed, just taking out what we would need for tonight and in the morning. I yawned and got ready for bed, as best I could. Jack saw me and came in to lift me into the the bed, where I fell asleep immediately. When I woke up, it was to my alarm calling us all to get up for our flight. We stretched and grumbled, getting up and ready as quickly as possible. I slid my phone, medical information, e-reader, and laptop into the messenger bag that attached to the wheelchair that Alison had given me as a Christmas present the previous day. Jack and Mark wheeled me out for a bathroom stop and to make us all some coffee, or in my case, tea. I drank two large cups before I felt fully awake, by which time, Simon had gotten here. Everyone else got up just long enough to say goodbyes and we headed to the airport in Dublin. Once there we found our gate, checked our luggage, and found a place to grab breakfast after we went through security. When we finished, we waited in the first class lounge, the only travelers there on this early, day after Christmas, flight. Before we knew it we were flying back to the US. We had a brief stop in DC and then flew the rest of the way to LA non-stop. We didn't even have to change planes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of my cousins' kids calls grown up 'growed ups' and I think it's too cute for words, so TA DA!


	60. Home Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have exactly four days home before you fly back out of LA, provided you still have the doctor's okay.

Dan met us at the airport as soon as we got to the arrival gate. He hugged Jack and Mark, one armed. Then he turned to me. "Holy shit! You're really getting huge. You still look good though, just really, really big."

I smiled at Dan, reaching out for a hug. He leaned down and hugged me, somewhat gingerly. I smacked his shoulder. "I'm not made of glass dingus. I'm just extremely pregnant looking because I'm over twenty weeks pregnant with four babies. And I'm wheelchair bound because of heart issues. I'm trying as hard as I can to take it easy and not overdo, but I'm so sick of just sitting and laying around. At least Christmas was a hit. How has your break been going?"

Dan grinned. "I missed you. Even if you are cranky from an ungodly long flight. You all look exhausted. Let's get your luggage and get you back home." He paused for a minute. "Shit. How the hell are you going to get into your apartment? There are those four steps out front. The wheelchair won't roll up them." Jack and Mark looked at each other and grinned. I closed my eyes, shaking my head. "What? Oh, and my break has been fine so far. I flew back East for a week and visited my parents. It was nice, but short visits are better, so I came right back."

Jack looked at Dan. "Danny, that's not why she was shaking her head. We've been carrying her around, Mark and I, whenever she has ta go someplace tha wheelchair won't fit or she has ta go between seats or tha bed and tha wheelchair. We're both strong, and she's not that heavy. Besides, we like doing it." He looked back to me. "And ye are being really good about letting us help more now and taking it easy. Ever since ye came home from tha hospital. We very much appreciate that. Now, let's get our luggage. I can't wait ta sleep in my own bed. Jaysus, it feels like a year since we've been home."

I laughed. "Jack, it's been even longer for me. Remember, I spent the time the filming wrapped after Thanksgiving with my mom and Mark's. I haven't seen the apartment since the Wednesday before Thanksgiving." I leaned on his hand, which he had placed on my shoulder. "I think from now on, we need to plan shorter trips, with breaks in between. I know this was kind of our big 'last trip before the babies' spree and we wanted to see everyone, but it has really been starting to wear on me. I just want to get back to normal, and I know we have two more trips coming up." I bit my lip, thinking. "Actually, I might call my mom. We could fly out to spend New Years with my family and have the big gathering, then spend just one or two nights at Mom's. Then we could fly to Cincinnati and spend the rest of our travel time there, flying back home right after the charity livestream on the eighth. That would give us an extra week home before we have to do anything for work. What do you guys think about cutting things back a bit?"

Mark immediately answered. "Oh god, yes please!"

Jack chuckled. "I think that would be better all around, love as long as it won't upset ye. I know ye like visiting yer family."

"Jack, I suggested it. Honestly, I'm so sick of traveling, I'd rather skip everything all together, but we promised people we'd be coming to things and be back. I try to never break a promise, if I can avoid it."

Dan looked a little worriedly at all of us. "Well, you all better rest up. You really do look worn out. Come on. You got all the bags, guys? I'll push your girlfriend for a little while then. Oh, and Arin and Suzy want to have a welcome home party for you tomorrow. Are you up for that? It'll be low key, I swear." We all smiled and nodded. I closed my eyes, exhaustion hitting. I had been on way too many planes lately and this last flight was hellaciously long. 

As we headed out to the parking lot, Jack and Mark talked, sounding as tired as I felt. None of us had slept on the plane this time. We weren't alone in first class and several people recognized us, coming back to talk to us, and we all got stopped anytime any of us went back to the restroom, which, because of my pregnancy, was often. I couldn't even go alone, because of the tiny space and wheelchair, so we were even more noticeable. We usually didn't mind fan interaction, but on such a long flight, it got to be tiring. Eventually we had to plead need for a break so I could rest, blaming the babies. It wasn't even much of a lie. I really was worn to the bone. And Mark and Jack didn't look much better. Dan offered to load the luggage in the car and Mark lifted me into the back, both men crawling in next to me after the wheelchair was handed back to Dan. We cuddled in together, as close as we could and closed our eyes. We all three fell asleep before Dan even got back in the car, sleeping for nearly the whole ride. I woke back up first, the babies kicking. I rubbed my tummy, trying to calm them and looked at Jack and Mark. They looked so sweet laying on my shoulders, I couldn't help smiling. Dan saw me out of the rear-view mirror and winked. I smiled at him. "Sorry to have all of us fall asleep like that. The flight was endless, I swear. We had a whole bunch of fans on the plane with us and they all wanted to talk, meet us, and get pictures and autographs. Most of them wanted to feel the babies. A few even just walked us and put their hands on my belly without asking. It was kind of a rough flight." 

Dan shook his head. "Why do people do that shit? I mean, I get asking if they can feel someone's babies move, I guess. But to just walk up to someone and touch them? That's beyond rude."

I nodded. "It freaked Jack and Mark out too. Like I said, long flight. But we had a good visit with Jack's family." I chuckled quietly. "I was told I won Christmas, whatever that means." 

Jack opened his eyes and answered me. "It means, in my family anyway, ye are tha best present giver for tha year and ye get tha bragging rights. If ye manage ta do it four years in a row, ye are King or Queen of Christmas. It started when I was about ten, when we were all older and Susan got everyone particularly good presents. We worked out a rule system and points. Ye won, no contest, getting all tha points this year. Oh, and so far, no one has been named King or Queen. My brothers and sisters were saying they were going ta have ta watch out for ye though." He leaned in and kissed my cheek. "Now, why are ye awake again? Ye need sleep. We all do."

I smiled into his gorgeous eyes, momentarily forgetting what he asked, lost in their blue, crystalline depths. He blinked, breaking the spell after a minute. I shook my head. "Sorry. Um, why was I awake? Why else? The babies were being rowdy again. Samantha really likes to kick my ribs and spine. She's at least not being too rough right now, but Stephanie is kicking a bruise on the front of my belly as we speak." I rubbed the spot, gently trying to move her, but to no avail. "She's so stubborn." 

Jack chuckled, kissing me again. "Just like her momma." He leaned down. "Come on sweet girls. It's time for ye ta go back ta sleep. Momma, Papa, and Daddy need ta rest so ye can play with us tomorrow, okay? Sleep now, play later." He started humming slowly as he rubbed the side of my belly. The babies calmed, instead of kicking, just rolling around, which now, due to the size of my belly and the size of the girls, was slightly visible. He could feel them under his hand as well. He smiled and leaned his head against my shoulder again. Mark slept on. 

Dan winked at me. "Actually Jack, we're almost there. Don't fall back asleep just yet. And by the way, that was incredibly sweet."

I smiled and nodded. After a minute, we pulled into the parking lot of our complex. I gently woke Mark up with a kiss. He opened his eyes and looked dazed. "Wha? Where are we? Are we home? Am I still dreaming?"

Jack chuckled. "No, Mark, we really are home. Finally. Come on and shake tha sleep off. We need ta get [y/n] in and ta bed. She's exhausted. I think I got tha babies calm again. How is it that Stephanie and Samantha are so much more active than Tiana and Danielle? I mean, honestly?"

I looked at him, my eyes glittering with mischief. "Well, I'm not sure, except I know they are one of the sets of identical twins. We could see the shared umbilical cords on the ultrasound, remember?" I leaned close and whispered "Maybe it has to do with who their daddies are, sweetie. You know either one or both of you could be the fathers. Maybe you both are, to one set of twins each. That might explain why one set kicks more all the time, while the other two are more calm, but kick harder when they do kick. Tiana has a wicked little foot that likes to kick my bladder."

Jack looked at me surprised. "I hadn't even considered that, love. Ye think?" I nodded. "Wow. We have boss babies for sure. Not that I doubted it for a minute!"

I yawned. Mark, who was fully awake now, jumped out as soon as Dan pulled into one of my guest spots to let us out. He grabbed the keys and half the luggage, hauling them to the door and unlocking it, tossing everything inside, out of the way for now. Jack got out more slowly, helping me to scoot to the edge of the seat before lifting me out and carrying me inside, leaving the wheelchair for now. Jack set me on the couch while he helped Mark finish unloading. Dan came in briefly, to say good night and carried in our small carry-on bags as he came, all that was left after the guys grabbed the last load. We all wished him goodnight and Mark carried me back to bed, undressing me and helping me into a large nightgown and brush my teeth, so I could sleep. Jack crawled in next to me immediately. Mark was just a few beats behind him. Neither man did more than strip down to their boxers and brush their teeth. We were asleep as soon as we got settled, glad to be back in our own bed and back in LA.

We slept late the next morning, and for a wonderful change the girls were quiet as well, only occasionally rolling over or wiggling. It was nearly eleven when I finally woke up. Mark was watching the babies, a sleepy smile on his face. Jack was still wrapped around me, fast asleep. When Mark saw my eyes open he smiled. "Morning babe. Did you sleep well?"

"Absolutely. I was so wiped out I thought I'd need to sleep for days, but actually, I feel a lot better. I'm hungry, but I'm not tired anymore."

Mark nodded. "Me too. I just woke up a couple of minutes ago and was watching the girls. It looks like they're swimming in there or something. What do you want for breakfast this morning? Or brunch, since it's nearly lunch time?"

I smiled. "Let's see what we've got. Don't forget, we've been gone for a while and I doubt you two threw everything away you needed to before we left. Actually, let's call in an order of Chinese food. That's what really sounds good to me right now. Some Egg Foo Young, garlic chicken, and spring rolls. I have no idea why."

Mark grinned. "Even your pregnancy cravings are adorable and healthy. Okay, I'll go call it in and get it. Let's wake Jack up and see what he wants."

Jack groaned. "I want ta cuddle more. Actually, food does sound good too though. And I'm awake. I just don't wanna move. Our girlfriend is too warm, soft, and comfortable ta pull myself away from. And sexy. So sexy."

I giggled. "Thanks sweetie, but I need food. So what do you want from the Chinese food place? Orange Chicken? Chicken with Cashews? Or something else?"

Jack moaned, sounding almost pornographic. "All of the food. Everything. Especially what you just said. Yes. And about a gallon and a half of coffee." He cuddled into me more, pushing his face into my back. Mark grinned.

"Right. So to recap, Jack wants all of the food. [Y/N] wants spring rolls, Egg Foo Young, and Garlic Chicken. Anything else?"

"Markimoo, sweetheart, can you stop at the grocery store next to the restaurant and get some milk and eggs? Just a dozen eggs and a half gallon of milk for now, we won't be here that long, but if I want something baked, like cake or cookies, we need eggs. And cereal needs milk." Mark perked up at the mention of cereal. Jack moaned into my back when I mentioned cake and cookies. Mark nodded, leaning down to kiss me. We were smiling as he left. "Jack, as much as I'd love to stay in bed with you all day and cuddle, I really have to pee. Can you help me to the bathroom?"

He moved his head from my back and grinned at me, kissing me gently. "Of course, love. Then let's get a quick shower, get dressed for tha day, and snuggle on tha couch. Ye can work on stuff on the computer while I answer Twitter and Tumblr comments. I know ye want ta get a few things done while we're home, and I'll feel guilty if I make ye stay in bed just so we can cuddle. Sound like a plan?"

I nodded, kissing him again. "Let's do it." We did. Jack and Mark had gotten a shower seat for me before we left so he helped me onto it after I finished using the toilet and we got me out of my nightgown. A quick shower later, with both of us washing the other's hair and backs, as well as some gentle flirting and teasing, and Jack helped me out of the shower, wrapping me in a huge fluffy towel and carrying me back to the bedroom. He helped me get dressed in gorgeous midnight blue maternity dress I had bought and left here, thinking it would still be too big for me while we traveled. It was perfect and stretchy, long and soft. As soon as I was dressed, Jack leaned in and kissed me, hard, with a look of lust and possession in his eyes, turning the usually light blue color a darker, cloudy, blue grey.

"Love, ye are the most beautiful and sexy woman I have ever met, even this pregnant. Actually, the pregnancy has made ye even sexier. Now, I know ye aren't up ta anything right now, but please, know this. Mark and I love ye. And that gets stronger everyday."

"Jack, I love both of you more everyday too. I would be lost without you in my life. And we can still do things, but I not really in the mood at the moment." I smiled at him, happy and feeling his love. He picked me up, carrying me gently down the hall to the living room and set me down on the couch. He grabbed his phone, my laptop, the cords for both, and plugged everything in. I checked my email and responded to a few things online, emailing Danica and asking her to bring over as much of the stuff from the fans as she could manage. I gave her our address and she said she would be by as soon as he got some assistance. I thanked her and closed my email. I responded to comments on Twitter, Tumblr and YouTube for about half an hour before I closed them down as well. Then I started looking for a house for us in earnest. I had decided that was going to be my number one non-work priority until we found something. I had a deadline now too. The babies would be here before we knew it. I knew they would be here before the end of March, even though technically, I wasn't due until mid to late April. I wasn't sure why I was so sure, but I trusted that feeling and I wanted us to be as close to moved in as possible by that time. I was asked Jack a favor. "Sweetie, can you grab me a pen and notepad, please? I'm looking at houses near here and I want to write information about some of them down. Hey, you want to help?" 

Jack grinned, nodded, and grabbed the requested pen and paper. We found two I like a lot, not far from here, at a very good price, with short move in times. Mark came home and saw what we were working on. He set the Chinese food out on the table in front of us, grabbed drinks, plates, and utensils to dip the food, as well as chop sticks for all of us. We showed him the houses, mentioning they were our top picks so far. Mark nodded. "I like these. They are big enough for all of us, even the girls, and any possible future siblings they might have. And the in-law house on the side is nice. We can use it as a guest house if we have family visiting." 

I nodded. "Exactly. And the price is pretty good. They both are pretty close to the same layout, but this one has a pool, and this one has a wooded area in the back yard, with a slightly larger lot. It's also a little farther away, but not too far. I'm not done looking, but these two are worth checking into more. Can one of you two call after we finish eating, to set up a viewing?"

Jack grinned. Mark nodded. "I'll do it babe. Jack, you help her look for a few more. The more good options we have the stronger our bargaining position." Jack nodded agreement. We all kept looking while we ate. I had nearly forgotten I asked Danica to stop by until about an hour later, when the doorbell buzzed. Mark jumped up to get it. "Danica, what a lovely surprise! What are you doing here? And why do you have a moving truck backed into our lot?"

I laughed. "Mark, sweetie I asked her over. Danica, was there really that much stuff?"

She laughed and nodded. "Oh, yeah. This is just the first load. You completely filled the storage shed and I've been having to store the rest in your office at work this week. My girlfriend is helping me today. Becca, come say hi."

We all greeted the newcomer. I extended my hand for a handshake as well. "Hi Becca! I'm poor Danica's insane boss. I would get up and come greet you properly, but I'm on restricted movement because of the pregnancy." I indicated my belly. "Having four babies is no picnic." Becca stared for a minute open-mouthed.

Danica started carrying boxes in. Soon the living room was piled high with all sorts of boxes. Mark and Becca were helping to carry them in. I looked at Jack. He grinned at me, shooting me a wink. "I'll go grab tha camera, love. We need ta unbox some of this at least on camera, and thank tha fans. Where are we going ta put everything?"

I grinned. "Hopefully, a lot of it will be going to St. Jude's charity and maybe someplace closer. St. Jude's is sending labels for shipping them stuff. Some of this we will keep, obviously, but a lot of it will be extras and can go to people who need it more. I already told the fans that was going to happen. They were fine with it. Some of them said they were making things that were personalized, and I promised we would keep as many of those items as we could, but to remember, even four babies can only wear so many clothes."

Jack smiled back at me. "Love, ye plan for everything. Okay, here's tha camera, Let me just set tha mic and stand up as well. Okay done. Now, uh, what do we need ta do?" 

"Wait for Mark. I want him in this too. And thank Danica and Becca." Jack nodded and headed out to help them bring the last of the boxes in. Danica and Becca left as soon as they were done, promising to bring back another load. I asked them to put that stuff in Jack's apartment for now, so we could actually move around. Jack handed over the key, and he and Mark settled down next to me. We started a shared video, doing all our intros. It would be going up on my channel, with links for Jack's and Mark's. They were also going to shoot shorter vlogs about the unboxing and I would link their video to these. I knew this was going to have to be several videos long, just because of the sheer number of items we had received. 

We recorded for three hours, opening nearly all the boxes. All letters were set aside to be read later. True to my word, we had two piles. One for charity, one for us to keep. We had about twenty blankets, more than I thought we would need, but they were all custom made for us. Some of them had the channel logos of each of us. One person had made four blankets, using channels logos of each of us and the colors of my channel, adding a spot for the girls names and hand stitching in all three of our last names, hyphenated together, to each blanket. They were amazingly gorgeous and very thoughtful. We had baby clothes in five boxes set aside for us to keep, in varying sizes. St. Jude's was getting another eight. I popped the labels on those boxes, right on camera, so the fans could see the direct impact they were having. The boxes would fly for free, in a promotion with the airline we were flying with to come home after the charity event. They were going to be listed as a sponsor during the livestream and on the streaming channel. I also put labels on the five boxes of blankets we were sending to charity. Mark took all of them out to the car, to drop off at the UPS store this evening. UPS was also working with us for this project. I had arranged everything ahead of time. After three hours, I called a halt. I needed a break for a while and we needed to clean up. Mark and Jack tidied up the room, while I broke the video into three segments, adding the intros and outros we had recorded at the beginning and end of each one. Then I rendered and uploaded them, releasing the first one immediately, and scheduling the others over the next few days. After that, I laid down on the couch, tired. Mark and Jack were still cleaning up, so I closed my eyes for just a minute, resting. I never felt the gentle kisses they gave me or the blanket being draped over me. I woke up at five o'clock, with the two of them snuggling on the loveseat, sharing kisses. I smiled, stretching and sitting back up. 

Jack saw me move and smiled at me. "Feeling more rested love? Ye looked adorable, but so tired. We tried ta be quiet."

I looked over at them and grinned. "Well, yea, I do fell better. Did you two have a fun afternoon together? You certainly seem more relaxed."

They both blushed and ducked their heads, just as I thought they would. I giggled. Mark looked over at me. "Yeah, you got us." 

"Hey, I already told you, you two can do whatever you want together if I'm not feeling up to things or just not in the mood. I just couldn't help teasing a little, especially since you looked like naughty children caught with their hands in a cookie jar. Now, I'm going back to the house hunt for a little while, then we need to head over to Arin's and Suzy's." I suddenly paled a little as one of the babies kicked up into my diaphragm, knocking all the air from my lungs. "Ow."

Jack and Mark were at my side like a shot. "What happened love? Are ye alright?"

"Yeah, one of the girls kicked the air out of my lungs is all. It hurt. A LOT." I rubbed my belly. "Easy in there girls. Mommy has to breathe so you can get enough oxygen too." I looked at Jack and Mark, thinking. "Oh shit. Arin and Suzy live upstairs. Is that going to be a problem?"

Mark shook his head. "We already talked about it. Jack's going to carry the wheelchair up, and I'll carry you. Then we can set you in the chair as soon as we get up there and ring the bell to go in. It shouldn't be an issue at all."

I smiled, nodding. "Okay. So do either of you want to help me look some more, or are you just going to snuggle each other and leave me all alone with the babies?"

They grinned at me and sat down, snuggling close to me. We searched online again, finding another house we all liked that fit the criteria. Mark called and left a message at the number listed, asking to come see the house as soon as possible. We had appointments to see the other two tomorrow after the doctor's appointment. Things were moving along well. After we finished the house search for the evening, I put my laptop to sleep and moved it to the table in front of me. I grabbed my slip on shoes, the ones I had tucked under the front of the couch for tonight. Jack and Mark went back to the bedroom to get themselves ready. I grabbed my bag and ran a brush through my hair. I was ready now.

We headed over to Arin's and Suzy's apartment around six thirty. We knocked and they smiled and let us in. They had asked us to get there between six and seven, so we were right on time. Both of them marveled at my baby bump. I let them feel the babies moving. Dan grinned and joined us, so I grabbed his hand for a feel as well. The babies were kicking up a storm, so it was easy to let everyone have a turn feeling their strong little feet. We all had a great time, just relaxing and exchanging Christmas presents a few days late. I had the gifts I had gotten for everyone in my purse, tucked in when Jack and Mark weren't looking. They were quite surprised to see me handing out presents to our friends when the time came. There were several other friends over as well, besides just Dan, Arin, and Suzy. Most of the Grumps showed up. Matt and Ryan came. Bob and Mandy were there. And a few other mutual friends were there as well. We had to excuse ourselves earlier than the rest, just because we were all still tired and somewhat jet lagged. Mark and Jack got me home and we fell into bed almost immediately. 

The next day was just as busy. Mark got a call back about the third house, setting an appointment up for that evening. We headed to the mall before my appointment, hoping to buy me some much needed larger maternity clothes. After that, we headed to the doctor's office once more. Dr. Sara saw us right away. "So, I hear you had a bit of heart trouble while you were traveling. It's good you got it checked. Now, normally, since you just had an ultrasound, we wouldn't do another, but I want to check the babies out myself and see what we can see. I grabbed the 3D machine, so this will look a lot different than any of the other images we've seen before." I nodded and we got started. Before long the babies were up on the screen, their tiny features clear for all of us to see. They were definitely starting to look like little humans, instead of alien beings now. We could see the beginnings of eyebrows and they had eyelids, closed over their large eyes. We were entranced. Dr. Sara smiled. "Well, everything looks go so far. I know you have plans to travel a little more, but take it easy. And no travel after this trip. I want you back by mid January. The babies could come early. If you go into labor too early, we might be able to stop it, bt you will need to be here as fast as you can after it starts. It's a lot more likely with four babies on the way than if you were just carrying twins or a single baby. Now, how are you feeling, Ms. Mommy-to-be? And how are the Daddies-to-be feeling?"

We talked to the doctor for a good twenty minutes after, getting all our concerns and questions addressed and answered. I was given a clean bill of health, except for my heart, which was being closely monitored and look fine for now. After the appointment, we got lunch and headed to the first of the three houses to check it out in person. It was gorgeous. We all liked it a lot, and the view was great. It was out, away from town a bit farther, but we we up on a hill, over looking everything, and the price was definitely right. Jack wanted to sign right then, but I reminded him we had two other house to see today, and I told the viewing agent we would be in touch either that evening or the next day. She smiled, nodded, and we headed to the next house. It was just as wonderful. Mark liked it a little better, preferring the pool to the woods, but I didn't let him railroad us either, reminding him about the last house. I exchanged the same pleasantries I had with the previous real estate agent. We headed to the final house. This was the one I had found last night. It was larger than the other two by quite a bit, and in a better location for us to go to work or our friends' places. It had a pool on one side of the yard, with a patio that lead out to it, and a small stream that rambled off into some woods on the other side. It really was the best of both worlds. And it had a two story in-law space, meaning we could have even more family stay with us if we needed. There was even a charming little garden and window box planters with some herbs and flowers I recognized. Mark and Jack were instantly on board with this house. I smiled and we talked to the realtor. He started off strong. "Well, the owner wants to sell as soon as possible. She just moved in with her son and his wife to help with their kids. And she wants to see it go to a good family, but she isn't going to be railroaded on anything either."

I nodded and took over the negotiations. I got the price down my nearly twenty five thousand dollars, got the home inspection included, and told the agent we would sign as soon as the inspection was done and came back clean. He agreed, clearly feeling like he had had a victory because I had originally offered several other conditions and fifty five thousand less than the asking price. Both prices were still reasonable, but now the agent felt like he was making a better deal. We had also requested an immediate closing and move in as part of the deal, which were granted. The home inspector would be out the next day. Mark was going to meet him here, along with the realtor to go over everything.

We drove home feeling accomplished, happy, and tired. I fell asleep in the back seat, curled in Jack's lap. I didn't even wake up when I was carried in.

Saturday, I woke up starving and had to pee. Mark was already gone from the bed and Jack was just waking up. He saw I was awake too, and helped me to the bathroom, knowing that was always first priority in the morning. Then he carried me to the living room and got me a bowl of cereal, the milk, and my medicines. I thanked him and drank the juice Mark got for me. Today, I worked on more unboxing, responding to fans, and catching up with work. Jack was working along side me and we managed to get through a ton of work. Mark came back, triumphant. "The house was in great shape. It's all set. We can come in and sign this afternoon, if we want."

I nodded, excited. "Yes. Let's do this thing! I'll go ahead and call the other two agents back and tell them we found something else. Give me just a minute." I made the calls while Jack changed clothes. He had been just wearing sweats around the house, and wanted to look more presentable. I was all set, wearing a comfy top in bright, ruby red. I had on a long black skirt as well. Black ballet flats completed the outfit. We headed out the door as soon as Jack came back, dressed in dark jeans and a charcoal grey shirt. 

We signed the papers and were given the keys. We were paying out of my savings, mostly, so we didn't even need bank approval. Jack and Mark has also put a large chunk of money in the account, so it was really savings from all of us, and they were transferring the remaining balance into the account. We were now home owners. The very first thing we did was go to the new house and decide which rooms would serve what purposes. When we all agreed on a nursery, I took out a Sharpie from my purse and started drawing the girls names on the door. I knew we had plans to paint the room and door anyway. Then we headed back to my apartment. I jumped on my computer and tweeted about buying the new place. I also posted about it on Facebook. We talked and decided we would move everything after we got back, and planned the move in date of the last day in January, allowing for all the rooms to be repainted and the carpets and floors replaced or cleaned where needed. Mark called a few places and found a company to paint, setting up a date of January twelfth. He got a carpet and flooring place set up for that week as well. We unpacked our suitcases from the trips before and put clean fresh clothes in our travel bags, moving them out to the hallway for loading in the car the next day.

That night we all slept soundly, completely relaxed and much of the stress of recent life handled. We drove to the airport and parking in long term parking the next day. Our flight left on time, for Baltimore this time, which was just as close to my mother's house as DC and slightly less expensive for this trip. We landed and my brother once again met us to drive us to Mom's. Eddie marveled at how much bigger I was than the last time he had seen me. Before long we were once again back in my mother's house for a few days visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a bit late. I was working on an update for my Jack X reader story (Night Breezes Seem to Whisper 'I Love You') and had to go out for some errands yesterday afternoon. (Blood work, a haircut, and waiting for prescriptions.) Oh, and I had an appointment that morning. So, yeah, delayed chapters. I was working on the same chapter for three freaking days on that story, because everything kept interrupting me!


	61. New Year*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New Year's party with the family, then on to Cincinnati.

Jack, Mark, and I woke up on New Year's Eve at my mother's house. I was still exhausted from all the recent travel and activities, so we decided to just have a quiet day with my mother. Eddie was spending the day, and to be honest, probably the night, with Ray, his boyfriend. I was glad he had someone he loved, who loved him back and lived close by. Eddie deserved to be happy and Ray really seemed to make his day whenever they were together. Mom was waiting for us when we emerged from the bedroom. I was wearing a maternity dress in dark purple with silver trim, that Jack had picked out for me the other day during our shopping trip in LA. He and Mark had picked a lot of things that they thought would look good on me, and I felt slightly overwhelmed, but enjoyed wearing what they choose. Jack was pushing me down the hall to the kitchen when Mom spotted us. "Finally. I thought you three were going to sleep all day!"

I yawned. "Mom, we're all exhausted. Besides, it's only ten. I remember a time or two that certain brothers of mine slept in until four in the afternoon without you saying anything. Believe it or not, we are tired of traveling. We spent all of four days at home before we rushed back out here for New Years. And during that time, we had to get used to the time difference, open a literal truckload of fan gifts, buy me some more maternity clothes, go to a doctor's appointment, and oh yeah, we bought a house. So, today we plan to do nothing at all. I'm going to eat some breakfast and snuggle into the couch with whoever wants to sit with me, under a blanket, and either read or just nap all day. I'm probably not even going to look at anything online all day."

Jack came around the wheelchair and kissed me. "That's my girl! I'm definitely going ta join ye. I might spend tha whole day playing with tha babies though, as long as it doesn't disturb ye."

I grinned. "Just keep them somewhat calm and I'll be happy. I've gotten used to them moving around a lot, so I can sleep through it if I need to, but if they start kicking my bladder or ribs, or worse yet, diaphragm, it hurts a lot." 

Jack smiled and kisses me again, a sweet, gentle, loving kiss. Then he stood back up and walked behind the wheelchair again, pushing me the rest of the way to the kitchen. He asked what I wanted for breakfast. I decided I wasn't very hungry, so I just asked for cereal and a banana. Jack scowled at me and handed them over, along with the milk. "Ye aren't eating enough, love. Ye have the four little ones ta consider as well as yerself. If this is all ye eat, I'm going ta have ta make ye eat a snack in a little while, or a full lunch at noon. If ye are determined ta eat little meals, I'm going ta make ye eat more of them."

I looked down. "Jack, I'm really just not very hungry this morning. I'm only eating the cereal because I know I need more than just the banana. Honestly, I can take care of myself, at least somewhat. I think it's just from the jet lag. You know I never really felt like I got over it before we flew here."

Jack continued to look worried and slightly grumpy. "We need ta get ye home and settled. Tha doctor shouldn't have cleared ye for more travel."

"Jack! I'm healthy enough, just tired. Now, are you going to glare at me and make it even harder for me to eat this cereal, or are you going to join me for a bowl? Then, I promise, we can go snuggle and you can play with the babies. I'll either nap or read. I promise."

He got himself a bowl, still looking worried and joined me for cereal. He added some fruit to his and grabbed some bacon that Mom had already cooked, from the fridge. I smiled. He offered me a piece and I took one, just to humor him. It made him brighten up considerably. I ate it and the banana right away. Then I poured a small bowl of cereal, adding a lot of milk. For some reason, the milk sounded better than the cereal this morning, so I went with it. I ate slowly, trying to make sure the food would stay down. My stomach really wasn't doing well this morning. As soon as I finished what I had poured Jack reached out to give me more. I shook him off. "Sweetie, I really can't. I'm feeling sick already. My stomach is upset. That's why I had so much more milk than cereal. It's what sounded good. Now, finish your own food. I'm okay."

Jack ate faster, nearly inhaling the rest of his cereal. I patted his arm to remind him to slow down and chew, but he ignored me. I sighed and sat back, trying to calm my stomach. I was suspicious that one of the girls might be crowding in close to it, which is why it was complaining. Hopefully, Jack or Mark would be able to relax with me and get the girls to move a bit lower, away from my vital organs. I sighed again, knowing things were only going to get more crowded in there from here on out. I was now twenty-three weeks pregnant. Dr. Sara had told me the babies could actually survive outside of my body now, in incubators, but the longer they were able to stay with me, the better they would do later and the healthier they would be. I had called my cardiologist and scheduled an appointment for as soon as we got back to LA, to check the progress of the virus, my overall heart health, and to make sure the tear wasn't getting bigger again.

As soon as Jack finished his bowl of cereal, he jumped up, clearing away our dirty dishes and wheeled me into the living room, lifting me onto the couch. I waited for him to sit down next to me and then snuggled into him, leaning into his side and swinging my legs up onto the couch. I grabbed the fuzzy blanket my mother kept on the back of the couch and covered the two of us up, tucking the blanket down my side. I grabbed my ebook reader and turned it on, my head right under Jack's chin, his arm curled on my belly, already rubbing little circles and soothing patterns across the surface of my skin. Stephanie and Samantha immediate shifted, moving toward the motion. Tiana and Danielle rolled slightly toward the new touch, but didn't do anything else. Jack smiled and started humming quietly. 

Mark came out of the bedroom a little while later, fresh from the shower and dressed for the day. He grabbed a banana and ate it quickly before coming over to the couch and lifting my legs up, so he could climb into out snuggle pile. He swung my legs back over his lap and leaned down, his head resting on the side of my baby bump. He grinned and rubbed the far side of my belly, where Tiana and Danielle were, making them roll again and poke out with tiny hands or feet. He started talking to the babies in a soft voice and I smiled as the babies all responded by either wriggling or settling down. Before very long, I was nodding off to sleep again. I felt Jack take my ebook reader out of my hands, heard the chime as he shut it off and set it aside, and felt him wrap his other arm around my shoulder, drawing me in closer. I snuggled in a little closer and let myself sleep. When I woke up, it was to the smells of someone cooking. I blinked the sleep from my eyes and looked around. Jack was asleep as well, his head resting on top of mine. Mark was still whispering to the babies. Mom was no where to be seen. Mark grinned when he saw me. 

"Hey babe, how are you feeling? Jack said you were a little sick this morning and didn't eat much, so your mom decided to make some soup and biscuits for lunch. How does that sound?"

"That's sounds pretty good. I think I was feeling sick because one of our daughters was shifted up under my ribs and compressing my stomach, lungs, and organs. You and Jack got the girls to move and I'm feeling a lot better, if still somewhat tired. Jet lag is kicking my ass." I yawned. "I feel like I could sleep a year and still not be caught up. How are you doing Mark?"

He smiled at me. "I'm pretty good. Actually, I feel like I want to go someplace and exercise before long."

I smiled at him. "Well, Mom has an old exercise bike in the basement that was mine, otherwise, you'll have to borrow a car and drive for about forty-five minutes to get to an actual gym. Just be careful, the roads are probably pretty icy and sometimes other drivers aren't very careful on these back roads. I don't want to even think of you getting hurt."

Mark looked at me and nodded. "Okay, babe. I'll stay here and use the exercise bike for today. I'll go to a regular gym when we get to my mom's house. Besides, I doubt the local gym here has a climbing wall, and that's really what I would want to use if I went out."

"Thanks, Mark. I know you would be careful, but I worry anyway. Remember, I used to live here and helped out with the emergency rescues for a little while." I shivered. "Way too many of them had to do with another driver hitting ice and losing control or speeding in bad weather. A few were just because someone got snowed in their car and we had to try to go find them, but they were the easy calls, the ones we always hoped for, but rarely got. That was during breaks in college when I would come home to visit, mostly."

Mark kissed my belly. "Hey, I want only happy thoughts today. You deserve a day of just complete relaxation and no stress. We all do, so if staying here and will keep your stress level down, I'm all for it. Tomorrow we have your big family gathering, then we fly back to Mom's house the next day. Thank god that's a short flight!" I smiled and nodded. Mark leaned down to the babies again. "You girls need to give your mommy a quiet day too. She needs to stay healthy so she can protect you. I know you're all crowded and everything, but she's doing her best to keep you happy and safe." I felt a few gentle rolls and movements but no hard kicks or punches. Mark patted my tummy. "Good job. Now, back to sleep babies. Momma, Daddy, and Papa are all here to keep you safe." Mark started gently humming and singing to the babies again and I closed my eyes, just letting Mark's soothing voice wash everything else away. I slipped back into a restful sleep.

When I woke up again, Mark was gone. Jack was still asleep behind me. He looked adorable. I hoped the extra sleep now would help lighten the dark circles he had ringing his eyes and smooth the exhaustion that was starting to make him look pinched and stressed. We all needed a break. Mom looked at Jack and I when she walked back into the room from the kitchen, looking surprised to see me awake. "[Y/n], I had no idea you and your boyfriends were so exhausted. You know, you could have called and skipped coming back out. The family would have understood. From what Mark was telling me, you all have been running yourselves ragged, just trying to get all the visiting done and keep up with all your responsibilities. Don't forget, you need to take care of yourselves as well, dear. Now are you awake enough to eat some soup, or do you want to sleep some more first? If I had known how much you three had been through lately, with your health, buying a new house, and travelling, I wouldn't have said anything this morning."

I looked at her for a minute before shifting myself gently off Jack's lap, onto the cushion next to him, trying not to wake him. "I should eat now. I think I want to start fairly small, just half a bowl and a biscuit please. The babies were crowding my stomach earlier, but I don't want to push things too much and end up being sick, especially since I'm not really supposed to go walking around, or running, on my own. The guys are being very protective and not even wanting me to get in and out of seats or do anything for myself, but if I had too, I could move myself to the wheelchair and get to the bathroom."

I felt Jack shifting beside me, starting to wake up. He was still leaned on me, even after I shifted, so every little movement he made, I could feel. He yawned and sat up. "Sorry, I had no idea I'd fall asleep like that. Ye're just so warm and I was more tired than I knew. What time is it, love?"

I shrugged and looked at Mom. She answered, with a smile. "About one o'clock. Are you hungry Jack? I made some soup and biscuits. I was just getting my very stubborn daughter to agree to eat as well." Jack started to move, but Mom waved him back. "No, no. You stay there and keep her comfortable. I can bring out the tray with your lunches. I'm going to make a couple of turkey sandwiches as well. You can eat them with the soup if you want. By the way the soup is spicy turkey enchilada. I hope that sounds good to both of you. And I go check with Mark to see if he's hungry as well. Be right back." She walked off, heading for the basement door.

Jack looked at me and chuckled. "Ye look a lot more rested, love. Are ye feeling any less tired or sick?"

I nodded and snuggled into his side. "Yeah. Actually, I don't feel sick at all now. I think the babies were crowding my stomach too much earlier, but between you and Mark playing with them, singing, talking, and humming, they moved down lower. I feel a lot better. And yes, I feel less tired too, although I still don't feel like doing anything today. Is that terrible?"

Jack grinned. "Nope. That's smart. Ye need a down day. I do too. I think Mark needs some time ta himself, so maybe he can sneak off and find something ta do."

I smiled. "I think he already did. He talked to me earlier, saying he wanted to get some exercise, and I told him how far away the nearest gym was, and asked him to be extra careful if he went, and also told him my Mom had an old exercise bike in the basement of mine that he was welcome to use instead. He agreed and told me he would wait for a real gym until he got to Cincinnati." I chuckled slightly. "I think he is trying to burn stress and nerves instead of energy though. He seems tired, but not as tired as you or I right now." I sighed, snuggling against Jack again. "Hey, can you hand me my ebook reader again. I want to read while I eat."

Jack handed it over. "What are ye reading now? Anything good?"

"Of course! Actually, I'm about to start rereading a fantasy novel I really love by Mercedes Lackey, called Take a Thief. It's a lot of fun. I just finished my other book this morning when I fell asleep again."

Jack shook his head at me. "Ye are amazing. Hey, ye mind if I read with ye, if ye're just starting it?"

I smiled and queued the book up, handing the ebook reader to him to hold. "You better hold it then. I read incredibly fast, usually averaging between four and six hundred words a minute when I'm not speed reading. This way we can read to your pace. I'll tell you if it's too slow for me, okay?"

Jack looked shocked. "Ye read how fast?" I pulled up the statistics the app I read from kept, showing him what i meant. There were about fifty books and the average reading speed was shown in words per minute. The numbers ranged from three hundred ninety six to seven hundred three, most falling in the four hundred eighty to five hundred forty range. Jack was speechless with surprise.

I giggled at his facial expression of shock. "Jack, you know I'm busy and I read a lot. How did you think I got through so many books? Magic?"

He shook his head and grinned a little sheepishly. "I never actually thought about it. Ye never cease ta amaze me, love. Now let's read. I'm not as fast as ye, but I'll try not ta be slow."

I smiled and leaned over to kiss him. "Read at whatever speed you are comfortable, sweetie. I can always do something else and just let you borrow the book from me for a while. I think you might really enjoy this one, and it's part of a series."

We settled in and started reading. Jack was reading at a decent pace, not slowing me down by too much. I could tell he was starting to get really into the story though, because he jumped when my mother brought out our lunch, setting up the tray in front of us. She grinned and brought back two cups of tea for us. I thanked her and started eating. I must have been hungrier than I thought because I ate all my soup, my biscuit, and one of the sandwiches in rapid succession. Mom looked at me. "So, I take it you're stomach is feeling better?"

I blushed slightly as it growled loudly. "Um, yeah. But it's reminding me how empty it is now. Can I please have some more soup?"

Mom smiled. "Of course, dear. I know this is your favorite so I made an extra large batch. Tell you what, I'm going to bring out a larger container and you and Jack can eat what you want, then we can just put that away later, okay? It will mean fewer trips back and forth to the kitchen. Oh, and Mark says he'll be up shortly." True to her word, Mom dipped a resealable plastic container full and put a ladle in it to dip the soup in our bowls. She also brought out a few more sandwiches. "I really want to get rid of this leftover turkey from Christmas."

I winked at Jack. "And feeding us up is just a side benefit, right Mom?" We all chuckled as Mom flushed a little and waved a hand at me, slightly embarrassed. Jack and I both grabbed another sandwich and I refilled my bowl with soup. We ate, still reading, while Mom watched, smiling. Before long she got up and got a book of her own. Mark came up, sweating, and immediately headed back to shower again. He looked a lot more relaxed when he came back. He grabbed a bowl of soup and snuggled next to me on the couch. I smiled at him. "Have a good workout Markimoo?"

He grinned and nodded. "So what are you and Jack up to?"

I looked over at him. "We're reading. And eating our lunches. Basically, just relaxing."

He leaned over and kissed me. "Good. You both need to relax more. I did too. I think I'll spend the rest of the day relaxing with you both. I feel a lot better after working out for a little while. Thanks for suggesting the bike." 

I smiled and nodded. I looked at Jack. He was lost in the book, completely missing the conversation now. I smiled. I liked being right about a book recommendation. I shifted and leaned over, snuggling into Mark's side now. "Jack's completely absorbed in that book. I can snuggle with you now and we can relax together. Do you want to watch something either on TV, Netflix, or YouTube? Or do you want to do something else sweetheart?" 

Mark grinned at me. "Let's get our laptops out and play some video games. It seems like forever since you and I played together. I'll go get the computers as soon as I finish eating, okay? And thanks."

I looked at him raising an eyebrow. "For what sweetie? And a game sounds good."

He smiled. "For looking after everybody, including yourself. And for just letting Jack and I take care of you so much lately. Honestly, knowing you aren't pushing yourself so hard is making both of us breathe a lot easier."

I snuggled into him and sighed. He kissed my forehead and we went back to our food. I ended up eating a third bowl of soup (okay, two and a half really) before I was full. Mom and Mark both grinned at me. Jack looked up from the ebook a few times, making sure I was okay. When he saw me snuggled into Mark's side, he grinned and sat back more comfortably, stretching out and moving the ebook reader so he was more comfortable and could see better. Mark took our dirty dishes away and cleaned up the leftovers from lunch before getting our laptops. We both loaded Steam and started playing some Prop Hunt. Bob and Wade were online too, so Mark messaged then and they joined us. It was a lot of fun and very relaxing. Mark kept a close eye on me, making sure I wasn't getting tired, but the two naps this morning had cleared up the last of the jet lag. I was just having a lot of fun. Part way through the afternoon, two of the babies got hiccups, giving me the giggles as I felt the odd fluttering and the babies rolling.

Mark looked at me out of the corner of his eye after I started giggling for the third time with no apparent cause. "What's up babe? What's making you giggle so much?"

I grabbed his hand and put it over the babies where they were rolling. "I think Samantha and Danielle have the hiccups and all four of them are rolling around. Tiana and Stephanie are trying to avoid their sisters. It feels really funny and every time one of them hiccups, I feel the baby move in a funny way. It almost feels like they are jumping straight up and down." 

Mark grinned. We were currently between rounds, waiting for Bob and Wade to hide as props. We had headsets on, and I'm sure they heard me talking, but I didn't mind, as long as they didn't start teasing me. Jack was still reading. We spent the whole afternoon like that. Mom made some stir-fried turkey with mushrooms, zucchini, broccoli, and spinach for dinner. After dinner we all sat around and watched TV until I fell asleep cuddled into Jack. He was reading again, during the commercial breaks. Mark lifted me up and carried me back to bed. I looked at him and made a few sleep half protests. "Sweetie, you don't have to miss the show. I can wait." He shook his head at me. "No really. I was watching it too."

Mark laughed. "You were not! You were sound asleep. Now, I'm going to help you into your nightgown and we are going to lay down. I'm going to sing until the girls are all settled and you go back to sleep, okay? No arguments." He brought me up closer and kissed me. I smiled sleepily and kissed him back.

He was true to his word, helping me change clothes and immediately snuggling in bed with me, singing softly until the girls were all calm and I was nearly asleep. He sounded tired too, and I wasn't surprised to hear his gentle snores as I drifted off to sleep. I didn't wake up when Jack came back and joined us, and I don't think Mark did either.

New Year's Day dawned bright, clear, cold, and beautiful. I woke up around eight, stretched and looked at my boyfriends. They looked amazing, still asleep, but all tousled and sexy. I was feeling frisky this morning, and I knew the doctors had all okayed me to have sex, as long as we were careful and gentle. I grinned and started kissing and rubbing against my boyfriends, alternating back and forth, being careful to arouse without waking them. I wanted them hot and bothered before they even opened their eyes, ready for action. My plan worked, amazingly well, in fact. Jack's eyes opened, a lustful haze in their blue depths clouding the normally crystal blue color, making them look more blue grey in the light. I kept kissing, nipping, and rubbing, touching everywhere I could reach. He growled a deep sexy sound and reached for me. "Love, what are ye doing?"

I made a pouty face at him. "What? Do you not like it? I'm feeling so good, relaxed, and, well, horny this morning, I thought to myself, 'What better way to start the new year than sexy fun with my two men?', but if you don't want to, I could just do it with Markimoo. He seems into it..." I looked over at Mark, who was just starting to open his eyes, but who had reached out and was grabbing my breasts, gently fondling them and grinding on my hip. 

Jack licked his lips and pulled me in for a scorching hot kiss. "Love, ye know I'm interested. I just wanted ta be sure ye were up ta this. The doctors still said it was okay, right?" I nodded, slightly breathless from the kiss, wanting more. I moaned deep in my throat, closing my eyes as Mark hit a particularly sensitive spot on my breasts. Jack looked down at me hungrily. "Jaysus, ye're so hot. Ye make me loose my mind sometimes. But we're wearing too many clothes. Let's get that fixed, shall we?" I nodded helplessly as Jack reached out and lifted the nightgown up over my waist and sat me up to pull it completely off, moving Mark's hands just long enough to remove the clothing in between us. Then he stripped his pants and boxers off in one savage movement. I watched, heavy lidded. He was magnificent, all lean and hard, everywhere I looked. His cock was hard and pulsed slightly, bobbing up and down as he moved. It looked like he was already starting to leak just slightly and it was all I could do to stop myself from reaching over and giving him a rough handjob while he was getting settled back onto the bed. He saw my look and smiled almost ferally. "My, my someone really is in tha mood, isn't she? Patience, love. Ye'll get exactly what ye want. Never fear."

I swallowed, then moaned. "Jack. I need you. Mark, I want you. Guys, I love you both. Please." I squirmed under their hot gazes. Mark stripped himself down in a flash, joining us on the bed again, leaning in and kissing me abruptly. I was left breathless. Jack began sucking little love bites down along my chest, stomach, and legs, circling ever closer to where I most wanted his mouth. Mark was rubbing his hands all over me as he kept my mouth occupied, deepening the kiss to a true make-out session, frenching me and gently biting my lower lip. I was panting now. Suddenly, Jack reached up and ran his fingers along my pussy, running them up and down several times, before separating them. 

"Well, someone's nice and wet and ready. My goodness." I flushed slightly and moaned again as Jack replaced his mouth and tongue with his fingers. "Oh love, ye taste so good." I tried my to wriggle and pant, but my body had a mind of it's own. Jack was driving me wild. Mark grinned at me, equally savagely as Jack. Mark moved suddenly, shifting completely away. Suddenly he pressed his very hard dick in my face as he turned his attention to my breasts. I reached out and grabbed it, starting to give him a blow job, completely without his asking. He moaned deep in his throat, close to Jack's ear, making Jack pause and look up. "Good girl, [y/n]. Ye keep sucking Mark's dick and I'll keep eating ye out." Mark reached down and started giving Jack a slow handjob. A few minutes later, Jack stopped Mark, reaching out and pulling his face in for a spectacular kiss. They both moaned and Mark bucked slightly in my mouth, making me gag. Jack pulled back slowly and suddenly lined up his dick with my slit and dove in. I shuddered and quivered, hot and ready for him. The added sensations made me moan into Mark's cock. 

Mark stilled suddenly and stiffened. "Babe, your mouth is amazing. Whatever you just did was extremely hot. I'm getting close." I pulled his cock out of my mouth to answer.

"Good." I moved my hands, stroking him now in rhythm with the strokes Jack was thrusting into me. I licked the head of Mark's cock, focusing on the tip and the slit, swirling my tongue back and forth, driving him crazy. A few seconds later, he came, hard, slumping over to lay in a panting, spent heap on the bed next to me. Jack looked down at me and groaned again. Seeing me covered in Mark's cum seemed to spur him on to greater efforts and suddenly he hit the exact right spot. I cried out. He bucked and started hitting it repeatedly, knocking me into the biggest orgasm I had had in a very long time. Just as I peaked, Jack groaned ot my name and came as well. Slumping down on top of me, spent.

After a few minutes, I recovered enough to shift positions slightly. Jack smiled at me looking a little dazed still. Mark shifted enough to lay his head on my shoulder. Then all four babies kicked a few times, making Jack jump and laugh. "So ye liked that, did ye little ones? Is yer momma all nice and relaxed now? Yer daddies sure are. We're so relaxed we can't even move."

I smiled. "I hope one of you recovers enough to help me to the bathroom soon. I need to pee and I would love a shower. This was definitely fun, but messy. I just hope Mom didn't hear too much."

Both men grimaced slightly. "Yeah, your mother definitely didn't need to hear that. Give me a few more minutes and I'll help you up. I just need to gather my reserves a little more, babe. Oh, and thank you. This was a wonderful way to wake up."

I grinned. "I figured why not start the new year off with a bang." They both groaned quietly and I giggled. "Yeah, yeah, bad pun I know, but honestly, I couldn't help myself."

We laid there for about five minutes, until Mark managed to pull himself up and stand up, lifting me up as soon as he was ready. Jack had rolled off me and he stood up now as well, opening the door to the bathroom for Mark. Mark put me down on the toilet so I could take care of business while he got the temperature of the water set. Before long we were all showering together having a soapy fun round two. We were as quiet as we could be, trying not to disturb my mother and after we were done, Mark wrapped me in a towel, grabbing the hairbrush, while Jack carried me back into the bedroom and set me gently on the end of the bed. They both helped me dry off and get dressed, choosing a dark charcoal dress with bright silver, blue, red, green, and gold threads in the bodice and sleeves. Jack helped me into a pair of sparkly tights and my flats after that while Mark toweled my hair as dry as he could and started brushing the tangles out. When I had my shoes on, Jack stepped back, nodding. He suddenly seemed to realize he was standing there completely naked and he grabbed his clothes, changing quickly. Then he ran a comb through his own hair, gently blow drying it enough to make sure it stayed the way he wanted it. I smiled as I watched him get ready for the day. Mark was still brushing my hair. When all the tangles were out he got off the bed and stepped away to get dressed, dropping his towel in the pile, and selecting his own clothes for the day. Jack came back over to me with the blow dryer and gently helped me blow dry my hair, pulling it back in a french twist and pinning it up. I made sure we left plenty of loose tendrils down, and it was an intentionally messy look. Jack kissed me when we were done. "Are ye ready ta go get some breakfast, love?" 

"You bet, Jack! I'm hungry."

Mark and Jack grinned at me and then at each other. They helped me into the wheelchair and Mark pushed me down the hall, Jack walking beside me, holding my hand. When we got to the kitchen, I didn't see my mother anywhere, so I asked the guys to make apple cinnamon pancakes, scrambled eggs, and sausage. They did, working together. Everything came out perfectly. Mark poured me a glass of milk to go with it, as well as my usual morning tea. They were both just sitting down to eat as well, with a fresh pot of coffee brewed, when Mom walked in. "Morning kids. Did you all sleep well?"

We all nodded and started eating. Mom helped herself to some food as well. Before long breakfast was over and we were getting ready to head out the door to Uncle James's and Aunt Rebecca's house. They were hosting the New Years Day party. Mom drove and the guys and I were all curled up, cuddling in the back seat. I was leaned into Mark's side, with Jack leaned on me, and Mark had an arm around both of us. We drowsed slightly on the ride, not quite sleeping, but not entirely awake either. When we pulled up to the house, everyone else was already there and they rushed out to greet us. Mark pulled the wheelchair out of the car and Jack lifted me over into it, wheeling me inside. The house had three steps, so Mark lifted me up and carried me up them, while Jack lifted the wheelchair, carrying it inside. My family immediately started asking a million questions about why I was in the wheelchair, if the babies were okay, and that kind of thing. They all also marveled at how big my baby bump was now, considering it was barely visible when they last saw me on Thanksgiving. We patiently answered all the questions.

Soon, everyone moved on and we rolled into the living room joining the party. We almost immediately joined the group of people playing games, which right now was poker or FUNemployed. We decided on FUNemployed and dived into the next round. Food was brought out starting around noon and changed throughout the day, buffet style, so everyone just grabbed whatever looked appealing whenever they were hungry. Jack, Mark, and I received gifts and gift cards from many, many family members, as presents in lieu of a baby shower since I had explained why we weren't having one at Thanksgiving. Mostly the family gave us gift cards, which we could use for whatever we most needed, and I expressed my gratitude for each and every one. All of them went in my purse, which was sitting at my feet. We also received a Vitamix professional blender from one of my aunts. "Oh my god! Thank you so much Aunt Meg. This is great, and will be perfect for our new house. The kitchen is amazing, but my blender was definitely on it's last legs." 

Suddenly everyone crowded around, wanting to hear about the new house. We explained and showed them pictures. Mom grinned at me when we mentioned the in-law living quarters and how much room there was. We were congratulated on the new house and had to give everyone the address so they could update their mailing lists. I promised to email it to all of them as a reminder as well. The day wore on, and by seven o'clock I was tired again. I leaned on Jack as we sat on the couch, half watching football. Jack had brought my ebook reader and was really just reading the book he had started yesterday, only occasionally glancing at the screen. I was fighting to stay awake, and losing. Before I knew it I was sound asleep against him, curled into his side.

Mom noticed before long and made excuses and we all said out goodbyes, heading back to Mom's house for the night. We had a one o'clock flight the next day from Baltimore. Mark, Jack and I all feel asleep on the way back to the house. Mom woke Mark and Jack up when we pulled up and I only half woke up. Jack carried me inside and back to bed. Mark helped him get me changed into my nightgown, and both men got ready for bed themselves, climbing in with me as oon as they were ready. I cuddled into them and fell back into a deep sleep as soon as they were settled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is late. I still feel like shit from the spinal tap, which, incidentally, went as badly as it could. They had to try multiple places and I was in the procedure for more than two hours. They still didn't get enough spinal fluid to work with. So I may have to go back for a second one, where they will completely sedate me, if the doctors decide it's necessary and I agree. I'm on the fence right now. This is day three of the migraine it caused, my back is in absolute agony, and I'm pretty bruised up. I don't know if they will be able to get enough spinal fluid if they go somewhere else on my back either, or if the test will be able to determine what is causing the issues I'm having with my legs. :/ So, that's why the chapter was delayed, along with the fact i updated . 
> 
> Also, tomorrow's chapter might be a little late. I have another doctor's appointment and it's an hour drive each way, so I'm not sure how much of my day will be eaten up by that. I'm gonna try to push out an update, but the chapter might be a bit short, or I might have to skip and post something the next day.


	62. Cincinnati Livestreaming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And we're back in Cincinnati. Livestream time!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small timeskip here at the beginning to the day of the livestream. Nothing really important has happened in between, just more playing with Chica, visiting Momiplier, Dee, Thomas, Julie, some of Mark's old friends, and Wade and Molly. 
> 
> ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

January eighth dawned bright and cold in Cincinnati. I was about twenty five weeks pregnant now and looked enormous. Even my largest maternity tops and outfits were a bit snug on me by now, unless they were ridiculously stretchy. I was feeling trapped in my own body and ready to get these babies out of me, to meet them, as soon as it was safe and they were ready. I felt a lot like a beached whale by now. Mark and Jack were trying to keep my mood light, but I was grumpy and out of sorts and I knew it. Fortunately, they were extremely patient with me. Chica had been over the moon to see all of us, acting like we had been away for years instead of just a few weeks. My large belly seemed to confuse her now though, making me even grumpier. Every time she would go anywhere out of sight of me she would whine, but then she would whine whenever she got close and saw my baby belly. It was slightly maddening for all of us. Today was the last full day we would be in Cincinnati and the day of the St. Jude's charity Livestream. St. Jude's had already received the boxes we had sent ahead, all twenty or so of them. They were ecstatic. We woke up around nine and headed to the kitchen. I was feeling slightly less grumpy then some mornings lately, so I asked politely for eggs, toast, and a small cup of fruit. Jack grinned at my request. "Of course, love. Ye feeling okay this morning?"

I made a face. "About a million weeks pregnant and feeling the size of a beached whale, but other than that, peachy. And I swear if I hear one comment about you being a whale biologist, both of you will be facing the full emotional fury of your twenty five week pregnant-with-four girlfriend, who is on a very short fuse right now, since she hasn't eaten and is having trouble sleeping. Got it?"

They both looked at me, trying to look innocent. Mark's voice when he answered got all squeaky. "Why, I would never do-"

"Cut the crap Mark. Almost the only time your voice squeaks like that is when someone catches you out, usually before you can pull the prank you have planned off." He looked slightly guilty. Jack was biting the inside of his cheek to keep his laughter in, I could see from here. I watched him, a look of annoyance clear on my face. "Hrmph. You two aren't very nice to me this morning." I scowled. "Even if I am a grumpy pain in the ass. I can't help it. The girls are making me so uncomfortable, I can barely stand it."

Momiplier walked in the kitchen and heard the last of what I said. She shook her head at the boys. "Boys, don't tease her. Pregnant ladies are a lot like live explosives. They need handled with care. I'm surprised she hasn't bitten one of your noses off yet. The hormonal storm she's going through is no joke, plus it's being multiplied by four. Add in the fact that those babies are growing at an enormous rate and actually moving her internal organs aside so the babies can grow, and you have a very uncomfortable, very short tempered female, who also is fighting mothering instincts and the biological urge to nest. And she's not even at home, so she can't make her surroundings more comfortable. It's no wonder she's a little grumpy. Honestly, I think the only thing saving both your butts right now is the fact that she knows you mean well and you are only trying to help her. Personally, I think she has the patience of a saint."

Jack and Mark exchanged guilty looks and got to work making my breakfast. I closed my eyes, fighting the urge to cry for no reason. I turned to Momiplier. "Thank you. Now, why do I feel like crying?" 

She made a small sympathetic noise. "Probably because you have ten times the amount of hormones running through your body that a woman normally has. Don't worry about it. Just try to keep a level head as best you can and not let things get to you, if you can help it. I think you are doing an amazing job." I smiled at her, thankful she was so level headed. I was even more thankful she and Dee got along well and had both agreed to come out to visit us starting a few days before Jack's birthday next month. They wanted to help us get moved and the nursery done before the babies arrived. Jack's parents would be flying in then too, and my mother was considering it. Finding out my due date was actually sooner had startled everyone and all the grandmothers had basically decided to descend on us for several months starting in mid-February for as long as we can stand them. Poor Clarissa and Darrell were being forced to rely on her parents for help just after their baby arrived, if Mom comes out for us like she is telling us she might. Although, she is also considering waiting until the babies actually get here and just coming out then. Considering Clarissa and I now have basically the same due date, my babies could be here a lot sooner, meaning Mom could even be back home after they are born before Clarissa gives birth. 

I sighed. "I'm sorry guys. I'm trying to hang in there. I know it's hard for you right now too. My body is doing weird things to me. I'll try to work hard on controlling my emotions and not be so grumpy and moody. I just want to be home and start getting the new house all ready and get us moved in." My eye were practically glowing with excitement now. "I want to make some stencils for the nursery, Warfstaches, SepticEye Sams, Tiny Box Tims, and my channel logo. I want to paint the room a very pale shade of purple, almost white-blue-grey, and use lots of silver, green, pink, and blue trim. And I want to call the companies offering us the free furniture and tell them where to ship things. We already have dozens and dozens of offers of strollers, cribs, bassinets, high chairs, playpens, and changing tables, I just hope some of the companies agree to send new stuff to charity too, if we turn them down. Oh, and Pampers and Huggies both want to give us free diapers for a year. There is so much to organize and get done, and I feel like the babies are going to be here a lot sooner than we expect." I bit my lip.

Jack came over to me and gave me a big hug, wrapping his arms around me and just staying there. "Breathe love. Ye are starting ta get yerself worked up again. We know ye need ta plan and prepare, almost ta a pathological degree, and we will help ye all we can. Ye're only twenty five weeks pregnant though. Tha babies need ta stay in there a while longer. Dr. Sara said they should be carried at least thirty weeks if at all possible ta avoid complications. That gives us another month and a half. Just calm down."

I tried to breath and listen to what Jack was saying, but stray nagging thoughts kept interjecting into my calm. Finally I had to focus on something else all together. The St. Jude's livestream. Helping the kids who are suffering through unimaginable hardships and cancer. We needed to raise as much money to help them as we possibly could. I looked at Jack and Mark, breathing deeply. I was a firm believer in the pay-it-forward principle. I just hoped someday, god forbid, if one of our little girls needed medical help, someone else had raised enough money to fund research and cures before we needed them. That was my driving force behind getting funding to charities like this. Well, that and helping people who were in situations that were truly so depressing and horrible, I couldn't even fathom how they survived, let alone faced them head on and as bravely as they did on a daily basis. I had met a few of the kids at St. Jude's when we had driven up some of the extras from fans. Wade had driven the van, with all of us coming along to met some of the kids as a bonus event for them. The kids were excited and star struck by us, many of them avid fans, some of whom had started watching Jack, Mark, Wade, Molly, and I from in the hospital. We signed a ton of autographs and gave as many hugs as we could. I had several hundred hands, or so it felt, feeling the babies all day that day, many of them barely bigger than a babies in the first place.

Jack noticed the shift in my mood and pulled back from the hug. "What are ye thinking about now, love?"

"Those kids we met from St. Jude's, and the livestream today. Actually, my thoughts are kind of bouncing all over the place this morning. I just hope I'm not so distracted when we are actually on camera in a little while." Suddenly I giggled. "Oh god, what if I fall asleep on camera? That's not going to raise much money!"

Jack leaned back in and kissed me on the cheek. "Love, ye aren't the only one doing this. Even if ye fall asleep, Mark, Wade, Bob, Molly, Felix, Marzia, Mandy, Ken, Mary, and I will all be there as well. Sure, Felix, Marzia, Ken, Mary, Bob, and Mandy are going to be remoting in, but that still leaves plenty of us here in person. Oh, and the Grumps are going ta mention tha livestream on their Twitter account today. Just try ta relax a bit. Everything will be fine, ye'll see."

I nodded and kissed Jack. "Sorry. I guess I'm just wound up this morning. Too much has been going on lately. I need some down time to decompress and just zone out. Actually, maybe the livestream will help with that. I think the video gaming will be good for me. What else will we be doing?"

Mark grinned as he called over his answer. "Eating pizza and crappy Chinese food, drinking soda, goofing off for the cameras, maybe doing each others makeup as a challenge, and possibly playing some card games. Oh and answering thousands and thousands of fan questions. At least it seems that way anyway."

Jack chuckled and nodded. "Yeah. And tha fans are nosy. No doubt they will be trying ta figure out if Septiplier is real. And they will make comments about all kinds of things all day."

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you worried about the fans poking at something they shouldn't? Or just whether I'll explode at them in an emotional maelstrom? I promise to be good." I paused. "Well, as good as I can be. But you better keep me fed, just to be safe. I'm a lot more mellow when I'm not hungry."

Jack chuckled and handed over a plate of toast with blackberry jam and butter, made just the way I liked. "Here love. Ye need ta eat. I'll bring ye some fruit too, in a minute. Markimoo is making ye some eggs and bacon. Do ye want milk or yogurt?"

I took an enormous bite, chewing slowly and enjoying the flavors of the food. "Both please. But just plain yogurt with a little honey, please Jack. Oh, and some cinnamon. Thanks you, sweetheart!" I took another large bite. Before he even got back with the tall glass of milk for me, I had demolished the two pieces of toast completely. Jack grinned and shook his head.

"Do ye want more toast?"

I nodded. "Yes, please. It was perfect."

Jack grinned and took the plate, popping more bread in the toaster. While it toasted, he washed a small bowl of blackberries for me, grabbed a cup of plain Greek yogurt, the honey, and the cinnamon, bringing everything over to me. He set it down in front of me, earning himself another kiss, which made him grin widely. He kissed me back and walked back to the toaster, fixing my toast when it popped. Meanwhile Mark brought over a plate of extra crispy bacon. I pulled him in a for a thank you kiss as well. He grinned before heading back to the stove to tend the eggs. Both men arrived back at the table with food at the same time and I kissed my hands and blew them both kisses. They grinned and kissed my cheeks at the same time. Momiplier made a noise and we looked at her. She was biting back a fit of the giggles. "You're all just so cute together!" We chuckled along with her, sincerely happy to see her that happy.

After we all ate, I was feeling much less grumpy and in a better mood. We got ready and headed over to Wade's and Molly's house for the day, to stream. Wade had set things up with an initial goal of fifty thousand dollars, a two and a half hour minimum stream time, seven stretch goals of up to one hundred twenty five thousand dollars, and a maximum stream time of twelve hours, staggered among all of us. Bob, Mandy, Ken, Mary, Felix, and Marzia were going to be having a streaming party in LA while we streamed from Cincinnati with Wade and Molly. We had done a lot of promotional crossover clips, released to advertise both the charity stream and the next season of the show, announcing this was the first glimpse into meeting all the new cast. Matt and Ryan were going to try to join if they could get back in time, but they were both only down as maybes, so we weren't sure if we could count them in or not. Streaming was set to start at eleven AM Ohio time or eight AM California time. We got to Wade's and Molly's around ten fifteen to help get everything set up, including our computers, plenty of board games and card games (including Cards Against Humanities, FUNemployed, and Exploding Kittens), drinks for everyone, ranging from iced tea and water to soda and a few beers for Wade and Jack. Wade placed an order for a massive quantity of Chinese food and an equally large amount of pizza and wings, asking the food to be delivered at noon and five, respectively. Wade had a few friends who were there helping make sure we remembered to actually stop and eat or drink, make sure the equipment didn't suddenly crap out, and help with any technical difficulties. We also had a representative from St. Jude's on hand to discuss the charity whenever we needed or if anyone had any questions about the organization. We were all ready by quarter til eleven. We got comfortable, loaded Twitch and YouTube, having decided to stream on both of them from different people's channels, and loaded Skype, calling our California contingent. Bob picked up immediately and we brought the image up on the big screen TV on loan to us for the event. We also had a smaller screen directly under it that ran nothing but the donation tracker and the amount needed for the next goal. At exactly eleven we all launched into our intros, starting with Felix and working our way around to include every single one of us who had a YouTube channel and constant intro. After that, we had the St. Jude's representative introduce herself and we started the actual drive, letting the rep explain the charity, where the money was going and what we hoped to accomplish that day. Wade announced what our monetary goals were for the day and what would happen when we reached a particular goal. I grinned when I heard the second to last one. Molly and I would be doing everyone else's makeup here, while Mary, Mandy, and Marzia did all the makeup of everyone there. That would be if we reach one hundred fifteen thousand dollars. After Wade was done, he looked at our group. "Am I forgetting anything, guys?"

I jumped in. "Well, Wade, we might want to tell everyone how long we will be invading their screens. Here's the deal, lovely viewers: We will be here at LEAST two and a half hours. We might stay as long as twelve hours, some of us coming and going as we need to, of course. For example, I might need to leave to go take a nap or lay down. Felix or Marzia might need to go run an errand. Some combination of us will be here though as long as we are still raising money, up to eleven PM here, eight pm California time, or twleve hours from now, whatever your local time is. So buckle in and plan your food and bathroom breaks accordingly." I winked at the camera. "Now, let's get this gamer fest started and answer some questions! Oh, one final thing here people. PLEASE, DO NOT SPAM THE CHAT!! If you do, we won't be able to read ANY comments. They go by incredibly fast as it is, and we try to stay on top of them, but if they are being spammed or the same messages just keep popping up, we won't respond. This is the only warning we are going to give. Any problems and we just start ignoring chat, got it? Great! Let's rock and roll!" Mark leaned over and hugged me, arms resting on my baby bump for a minute. Jack scooted in close beside me. We were all sitting on the love seat in Wade's living room, with him and Molly on the couch, the camera between us, so we were all visible. The St. Jude's rep was also on the couch sitting next to Molly, knitting for now. Everyone started a discussion about what game to play, and I watched the comments. I grinned. "Okay, we have a bunch of people asking questions, while Bob, Felix, Wade, Mark, and Jack try to figure out who's going to decide what game we ladies are ultimately going to reject, let's answer a few of these. First up, why is my belly so huge? Oh, ouch, way to wound the heavily pregnant woman on screen." I grinned and shook my head. "No really, I'm this big because I'm currently twenty five weeks pregnant with four little baby girls. I'm super excited about them too, as are the fathers."

Jack, who had stopped debating the games and was now listening to me, reached over and hugged me close. "Yeah, we are. Ye are special ta both Mark and I, love. Now, what game are ye going ta recommend we start with?"

I winked at the camera. "Why, I'll suggest whatever the fans want, within reason. Or if I see a truly excellent suggestion, I will use that right away." We both watched the comments for several seconds, waiting to see what would come our way. The comments were moving very, very quickly, many of them congratulating me on the babies, some expressing confusion about who the babies fathers were, and some just suggesting games. Ultimate Chicken Horse was popular and so was Golf with Friends. I voiced these ideas to the group and Wade grinned at me.

"Oh, let's do a few rounds of Golf with Friends. It causes some major rage, and that's always fun for the fans."

I looked at Jack and Mark. "I'll try not to get too riled up, okay guys? Just go easy on me and keep an eye on the app for my heart." Mark nodded, pulled his phone out and propped it on the table in front of us, the tracking app open, before he loaded the game on his computer. Jack and I loaded the game as well and we found the room Wade was hosting quickly. Wade sent the information to everyone in LA over Skype chat, so the viewers couldn't see it and Wade set the balls on random, with a fifteen stroke limit, low gravity, and the Twilight hole set, and a few other settings and we all started playing. Wade was right about the rage. Felix was swearing in Swedish before the third hole and Jack and Mark were growling and swearing as well. I on the other hand was having a great time. I had had three amazing shots right from the start and was currently in the lead. I had even had bad ball shapes and managed to get really good shots in. The chat was full of people teasing the guys about my precision plays versus their own wild swing and miss techniques. By hole six, a third of the way through the first game, I had a huge lead, with three hole in one shots already and every shot being well under par. I grinned at the camera. "Jeez. I never realized how bad all these guys really are at video games. Maybe i should take pity on them. What does our chat log say? Whoa nelly. I guess not." I looked around at the guys. "Holy shit, they want me to destroy all your asses! Their words, not mine."

Jack looked up, glaring at the chat screen. "Ye ungrateful bastards. We work so hard, and ye want us ta be humiliated? How's that fair?"

I chuckled, leaning over to kiss him. "You tell them sweetie. Now, calm down." The babies started kicking. "Oof. See, now you did it. The girls are getting just as wound up as you."

Jack looked at my stomach and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry love. Ye're right. We all need ta calm down. Even if the fans do want violence and blood. "

Mark chuckled. "Vicious, aren't they? Jeez." Mark made a spectacular shot that got him absolutely no where and his voice pitched high as he suddenly raged, calling the game a cheat and claiming "I had that! I so had that. You all saw. I had that. What the hell, game!" Since he and Jack were both leaned against the babies and me, they felt when the babies were moving. Mark's rage voice made the two of them in his side kick him hard, repeatedly. He jumped, like he was in a horror game, making the chat go wild. 

I grinned as I read the comments. "Yeah, the big ol' baby that is my dear sweet Mark, woke the actual babies in my belly and they kicked him, sharing their rage with Papa. Just like their daddy. That's what made him jump like Freddy just attacked him." Mark made a very high pitched and indignant noise as everyone on camera, in both locations laughed. 

Jack looked over at him and grinned. "Ye know ye did Mark. Ye even made tha same face. Since when do wee tiny babies scare ye?"

I giggled. "Jack, don't get too cocky. You could be next, you know. The girls have been known to make you jump too. And I can make both of you squeak like little bitches." I paused and waggled my eyebrows at the two men before grinning. "And I know you can't take revenge right now. I'm safe because of the babies and my heart. So both of you behave, or I will step in." 

Molly started laughing as she saw the comments. I looked down. Half the messages were along the lines of 'Ooh, she can be scary!' while the other half were 'I guess we see who wears the pants in that group. #mommypants' I cracked up. "Oh, please tell me you guys are going to make that a trending topic today. #mommypants needs to happen. It will spread mass confusion and chaos. It's just too funny!"

That brought everyone else's attention to the chat and we had a lively banter with the chat and each other going soon. We finished our game, which I won easily, even when I ended up with cones and cubes for the last six holes in a row. I didn't even complain until the last hole and still managed a few good rounds in there. By now, the Chinese food had arrived and everyone was grabbing food. Mark and Jack brought me some and a pair of chopsticks. I grinned and thanked them both, balancing the food on the baby bump. The girls were awake and moving around plenty, but not kicking very much today, for which I was grateful. Jack had also brought some Iced tea over for me and was making me drink more than I had been so far today. I smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek, making Mark pout slightly, so I leaned over and kissed his cheek as well. "Thanks for looking out for me guys and bringing me food." The fans were all chiming in with comments about how cute it was and how sweet the interactions were. 

Wade added "Yeah, they are all so sickeningly sweet, it's a wonder we don't all have cavities being around them for any length of time."

I turned to him and grinned. "We can't all be sour or salty. Besides, I'm not sweet. I'm sassy and spicy. Trust me." I winked, making sure the camera caught it. Mark and Jack lost it, actually doubling over with laughter, especially when Wade got too flustered to talk.

Felix's laugh was particularly loud from the other end. Everyone there was grinning as well. Finally, Bob looked over at me. "Why am I stuck on the boring end? It looks a lot more fun where you guys are."

I smirked at him. "Of course it is. I'm here!" The banter continued while we all decided what to do next. We settled on some Prop Hunt and things got absolutely crazy for a while. We had been calling out donation amounts regularly as we went as well, just reminding everyone how much we had gotten and how we were from our goals. Suddenly, in the middle of one of the rounds, the St. Jude's rep stood up and yelled. We all looked up, startled. She blushed. Then she pointed at the screen with the donations amount. I was the first to notice. "Woohoo! Thank you so much everyone! We just reached our minimum donation goal and we aren't even two full hours in to the stream yet! We love you all, whether you have donated or not. Believe me, I understand wanting to help and not being able to afford it, so it means a lot that you spread the word, donate what you can when you can, and generally are just there for us. Thank you all so much!" I had to grab a tissue and wipe away tears. Mark and Jack were hugging me. Wade looked concerned. I heard Marzia fight back tears and sniffles over our connection. "Sorry. My hormones are making me an emotional wreck lately. Poor Jack and Mark have to deal with a girlfriend who is more like live explosives than a human right now. One wrong word or misstep and I explode into rage or tears, it seems like. You'll probably see lots of tears from me today. I promise, I'll try to control myself though." I sniffled a little and we all resumed the game. I was a prop, so I just stayed where I was, pulling myself back together. I got killed, but didn't really mind. I could see Marzia trying to get her own emotions under control as well. Felix was hugging her one armed and pulling her close.

She leaned in close to the camera on her end. "Sorry. I'm fairly emotional too. Obviously, not as bad as [y/n], but then again, I'm not twenty five weeks pregnant with quadruplets either. Thanks for all the support and love everyone is showing though. We really mean it when we say this is life changing, not only for us, but for hundreds of other people, who you are all helping directly as well." Marzia looked at me and smiled tightly. She chewed the inside of her lip and turned to Felix, whispering something to him. I suspected I knew what, but waited for confirmation. He nodded and asked for a short break before we started the next round. I knew what was coming next and settled back waiting. Felix and Marzia had already told their families and most of their friends about their baby news, but I suspected they were about to tell the internet the news. When Marzia looked back at the camera next with a huge grin, I knew I was right. "Well, as I mentioned, I'm a bit more emotional than normal. I'm sure a few of you out there are just dismissing it as hormones. And you're right. I am hormonal. I'm also pregnant, almost three months now." She beamed. She got lots of congratulations from the chat and our friends. Ken and Mary already knew, as did Mark, Jack, and I, but apparently we were the only ones. Bob and Mandy hugged both Felix and Marzia. Wade and Molly looked very surprised, but then congratulated them along with everyone else.

We went back to Prop Hunt for a while before I logged out between rounds. I was getting tired and needed a break. I stretched a little, shifting positions, making Mark and Jack move. Mark looked at me and smiled. "You doing okay, babe? Need anything?"

I yawned and nodded. "I need a bathroom break and to stretch a little. I'm ready for a game break. We've been playing for three and a half hours already."

Jack looked surprised. "Really? I had no idea. Well, we're having loads of fun. Mark are ye going ta take her, or do ye want me ta?"

Mark stood up and grabbed my wheelchair, pulling it over close. "Milady, your chariot awaits. Allow me to assist you." He lifted me over to the chair and wheeled me down the hall to the bathroom. When I was done, we headed back to the living room and got seated once more. This time, I leaned into Jack's side, curling up slightly and Mark sat on the floor on a stack of pillows just under my belly. I was just going to watch them play for a while. I ended up falling asleep. I woke up to see them playing Rocket League and the pizza was about to be delivered.

I blinked, stretched again, and turned to the camera. "Sorry about falling asleep there folks. The babies are zapping all my energy lately. Oh, wow! You guys are all awesome. You have all given so much! We're almost to our forth stretch goal already. Either you really want to see us ladies do some makeup, or you're all really behind this charity. Thanks so, so much!"

I didn't know it, but the comments had been blowing up all afternoon over how cute and sweet I looked, many fans worried about me and the babies, trying to make sure I was taking care of myself. When I said this, the chat blew up again, fans all trying to tell me how sweet I was, how they didn't mind that I had fallen asleep, and how much our streaming motivated them to try to make a difference. Felix and Bob were in charge of monitoring the chat right now, and they started trying to relay the messages. I blushed and snuggled into Jack's side, slightly overwhelmed and embarrassed that the fans loved me so much. Jack leaned over and kissed me sweetly. I calmed down a bit and Mark rubbed my belly, soothing me and the girls at the same time. Just as we settled back in place, the pizza got here. Everyone paused the game and we got food again. Jack brought me a huge plate of pizza, salad, and wings. Mark brought me more tea, a can of soda, and two giant bottles of water. I looked at all the drinks and shook my head. "Mark, if I drink all that, my bladder will explode! I hope at least some of that is for you and Jack."

He grinned. "Nope. But I don't want any of us to have to get back up, so I brought a ton of stuff over. Just settle back and eat, babe. You need your strength for the babies. Those four little girls are growing at an incredible rate." 

I patted my ever growing belly. "I know. They are getting so big, but I'm even bigger. Trust me, I know. I can't exactly forget. It's hard to even find clothes anymore."

Jack hugged me. "Love, ye look beautiful. Ye just have a lot of babies in there ta cover up. Mark and I will love ye no matter how big ye get. Now, eat yer pizza and snuggle me some more. Ye are so soft and warm, ye make me so happy just cuddling. And ye make me play better. Just ask everybody else." 

I shifted so I was seated next to Jack, cuddled into him. Mark climbed onto the love seat next to me and snuggled into my side I smiled and ruffled his hair. The chat was once again exploding at our cuteness according to Bob and Felix, who were grinning at us. We grinned and chuckled at a few of the comments. We ate while Wade and Molly broke out the regular playing cards. We decided to play poker while the LA group played some online games and we all chatted, relaxed. It was a lot of fun and kept the grease from the wings and pizza from getting all over the computers and electronic equipment. After we finished eating and washed up, We looked at the donation counter again. We decided it was time to fulfill some of the stretch goal challenges. Since the one hundred thousand dollar stretch goal was for Jack and Mark to paint my pregnancy belly, I lifted my shirt to expose it and let them paint designs on for about half an hour. The girls squirmed and kicked constantly, reacting to the tickling feeling of the brush and the coldness of the paint in a way even the camera was picking up. Wade and Molly were now watching the comments and kept a steady dialogue going between us and the chat. Apparently, watching the babies kick was enough to spur the donations on, making the numbers jump by leaps and bounds. We broken the second to last stretch goal easily and were closing in on the final goal of one hundred twenty five thousand dollars raised by the time I lowered my shirt again. The babies were still kicking, visible even through my shirt and we left one of the cameras on my belly for an extra twenty minutes. After the babies settled down, I thanked the donors for their extreme generosity, reminding everyone that they were helping other peoples children and future babies like ours. I smiled and rubbed my belly gently, soothing the girls further.

I settled back on the couch this time, the St. Jude's rep coming on camera to remind everyone the details of exactly what their donations were going to do. Then we had Ryan and Matt, who had come in while the guys were painting my baby bump, man the chat so Marzia, Molly, Mary, Mandy, and I could do the makeup of Felix, Wade, Ken, Bob, Mark, and Jack. Since we were all going to take turns anyway, I was to go first, doing Mark's makeup, then Marzia was going to do Felix's, Mandy was going to do Bob's, I was going to do Jack's, Mary would do Ken's, and Molly would wrap us all up by doing Wade's. Pictures of all the men would be going up on Instagram and Twitter, as well as being included in the stream. I had Mark sit down next to me and used Jack as my assistant holding the makeup try and handing me brushes, pencils, and tools. He grinned the whole time, but I kept Mark's face hidden until the big reveal at the end. He looked really good. I didn't go all wacky with his makeup, but I did give him some spectacular smoky, glittery silver eyelids and perfectly winged eyeliner. His lips were treated to glossy red lipstick. I used some mascara, a light blush, foundation, powder, and a touch of shimmer dust over his whole face, but he looked really good, if slightly feminine. I grinned when I was done and he stood up, turning to the camera for his big reveal. The fans, who had been watching my movements, without seeing results, went nuts on the chat. They loved his look and told me more than a few times i should do more makeup on my channel. I made a face when Matt read that off. "Pul-lease. I hate wearing makeup. Just because I am good at it, doesn't mean I want to spend anymore time than I have to doing it." I wrinkled my nose and got more comfortable, shifting in my seat. Jack sat down in the spot where Mark had been sitting just a few minutes ago. He grinned at me and leaned forward kissing me gently behind our curtain, used to hide the process and final products from the camera. We heard some gentle wolf whistles and cat calls from our friends, but ignored them. When we separated, I saw Mark looking a little sad. I blew him a kiss and winked at him. He perked up and came over to sit beside me on my other side, ready to assist me with Jack's makeup when it was time. Meanwhile Marzia was doing Felix's makeup. Felix was not cooperating as well as Mark had. He kept moving, complaining and talking, making Marzia's job a lot harder. I bit my cheek and tried not to laugh.

Felix looked like a drag queen when his makeup was done, much to the viewers delight. Mandy and Bob were next. Bob also ended up looking rather garish and drag queen like. I turned to Jack. "Ready, sweetheart?"

"Ready love. Be gentle. I'll keep as still as I can. Can I play with tha babies while ye work, or will that be too distracting?"

I smiled. "Go ahead Jack. And the stiller you stay the faster I can finish." I looked at Jack and decided to go with softer eye makeup, slightly more blush, and emphasis on if lips, giving him more of a pouty look. I worked quickly, but efficiently and soon Jack's makeup was done as well. I added a shimmering dust as a final touch and placed a kiss on the tip of his nose to let him know I was done. He grinned and moved out to show the camera. The chat was delighted, commenting again how good, and different from Mark's makeup, I had made Jack look. The two men looked at each other and started making goofy faces and exaggerated flirty banter, keeping me in between. They both wrapped arms around me and kissed me as well, both as a thank you gesture and a 'see, she's my girlfriend and we are happy' gesture. I was inwardly amused at their antics, but kept a tight lid on it, so no one could read anything into my expression. The septiplier shippers were quick to catch on to the comments between Mark and Jack, but most of them also like me a lot, so they were just slightly confused by the whole situation, unsure where things stood. I knew the boys liked to fire things up sometimes, and I let them have their fun. Besides, it was really no one's business but our own. Wade rolled his eyes but got ready so Molly could do his makeup as soon as Ken and Mary were finished. When the last of the makeup was done, we turned it over to the fans, asking who's makeup they liked best. We also posted the pictures on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter just so people who missed the stream, or were unable to watch for various reasons could still see the results.

The fans were all having a blast, commenting that I seemed to be the only one in the group of girlfriends who was nice about the makeup, making my guys look really good. Everyone else kind of dicked around, making the other guys look like cheap hookers and drag queens. I chuckled. Felix groaned as he read the comments. "Don't tell her things like that. She's already too good at too many things. You'll give us all complexes and we'll have to stop making YouTube videos."

I gave Felix a dirty look. "Oh, yeah. I'm soo good at so many things I can't even walk right now or go to the bathroom by myself. Jack or Mark has to help me on and off the toilet. My heart can't even work correctly on it's own." Suddenly tears were falling again. I tried to hide them, but everyone, including the fans saw them. Mark wrapped his arms around me drawing me in for a hug. Jack sat as close as he could, patting my shoulders. I leaned into Mark's shoulder and just cried until I could get a hold of myself, which was longer than I would have liked. Then I looked at the camera and apologized. "Sorry guys." I sniffed. "Hormone express is running me ragged the last few days. Maybe we can play a game instead of comparing ourselves to each other? I mean we call have our strengths and weaknesses." 

Jack leaned over and kissed me. "Love, ye really don't have ta keep apologizing. Ye are doing an amazing job keeping yerself together. And Felix didn't mean ta upset ye. He was just teasing. I suspect he's going ta realize soon that teasing a pregnant woman is like poking a hornet's nest. Dangerous and unpredictable. Sure ye might be fine for a few minutes, but sooner or later, it will end in tears and pain." He was looking at Felix over Skype and gently shaking his head. Felix had already apologized several times. I put a hand on Jack's leg, a wordless thank you and warning not to keep punishing Felix for not thinking before he spoke. Jack grinned at me. "What game do ye want ta play now? Ultimate chicken horse? Robot Roller Derby Disco Dodgeball? Or something else entirely?" 

I looked around at everyone, thinking. "Let's play some Cards Against Humanity online. That way we can get everyone included and still be able to monitor the chat for the charity stream." Everyone agreed and we created a room, setting a password so the fans couldn't see. Before long, my tears were forgotten and the the game got a bit rowdy. 

We had a solid hour of play in before suddenly the St. Jude's rep jumped up, startling all of us. She turned to us. "You did it! Holy cow, you guys actually broke the goal a while ago, but I was busy watching you play and lost track of the donations. You have raised over one hundred and thirty eight thousand dollars! That's huge! Congratulations and THANK YOU so much!!!" She hugged all of us in the room. We looked surprised. 

Mark turned to Wade. "Now what? Do we keep going, and just see how much people will keep donating? Or do we stop here?"

Wade looked at the group. "Uh, what to do guys think? I'm willing to keep going, but what to you guys want to do?"

I looked at everyone and yawned hugely. Marzia looked as tired as I felt. I looked at her and we shared a nod. "Guys, Marzia and I are done. I'm sorry, but we just can't keep going. Being pregnant is taking a lot out of both of us. Marzia looks as tired as I feel. Jack, Mark, if you want to stay and keep streaming, that's fine, I'll go take a nap in the guest room, but I need to go sleep again and I need to lay down. Felix, get Marzia to bed soon."

Felix looked startled and looked at Marzia, who nodded, clearly exhausted. He winced and took her off screen immediately. Jack and Mark were looking at me worried. Mark turned to Wade. "Wade, buddy, is your guest room setup so we can crash here tonight? [Y/N] is right. She really needs to sleep and I'm pretty worn out too."

Wade nodded. "Yeah, of course. You guys can sleep back there and we'll get you all to the airport tomorrow. You have kind of an early flight right?" I nodded. "We do too. We'll stop by your mom's place in the morning Mark and get your suitcases and then head to the airport and out to LA. I guess that's the end of the stream then. Let's everyone do our outros and say goodnight."

We all agreed, doing our signature sign-offs. As soon as Jack and I were done, he lifted me up and carried me back to the spare room, Molly leading the way. Jack laid me down on the bed, helping me out of my bra, which was pinching. I put the shirt I was wearing back on, deciding to sleep in my clothes and change at Momiplier's house. I snuggled down into the bed immediately. Jack grinned and went to go get himself ready, joining me just a few minutes later. He snuggled in as close as he could and we started to drift off to sleep. Mark came in and saw us, leaving him smiling. I looked over at him and realized something. "Mark, sweetheart, don't forget to call your mom and tell her we won't be back tonight, so she doesn't worry. Also, are we taking Chica back with us, or is she coming back with your mom in a few weeks?"

Mark grinned. "Chica can come home tomorrow. Mom already has her sleeping in her crate, so we can grab her in the morning. I already called and told her we were staying over. She told me she was going to pack everything up for us, so we could just stop to change clothes and say goodbye in the morning. Thanks for thinking of her, babe. I know you're exhausted. Now, go to sleep. We're all set."

I nodded and felt Mark climb into bed with us a minute later, spooning into my back and cuddling me. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled Jack in closer as well. We were all wrapped together so tightly under the blankets, it was impossible to tell who's legs belonged to whom until the blanket lifted. We fell asleep quickly and slept peacefully all night, happy in the knowledge we had helped raise so much money for charity. It was a good day.


	63. And as the Dust Settles...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You are all finally home from your crazy two month visiting spree! Now it's time to go back to work and get down to moving everyone into the new house you all bought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time skip at the beginning of the chapter, just to keep the flow going. :) Next chapter will either start the following week, or two weeks later, I decide as I write. It's almost time people! Incoming babies before we know it!!! Oh and I have plans for when the babies will arrive. I wonder if any of you lovelies can guess ahead of time. Mwhahaha!
> 
> \-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The flight home had been uneventful. Jack, Mark, and I decided to just spend the next two weeks recovering, which really just meant that I slept a lot, and Jack and Mark concentrated on getting the painters into the new house and the flooring finished. Once that was done, I took an afternoon and called the companies who were offering us furniture, telling them what we could use and where to send it. Mark met the delivery trucks every time we had a scheduled delivery those several weeks. We also had a moving company come and take the extra furniture and everything we had stored in Mark's and Jack's apartments and move it. We were in the process of packing everything else at my apartment in an organized fashion, as well as unpacking at the new house. We already had three rooms set up there, the kitchen, living room, and a bedroom, so we could stay at either place while we were in the process. The fourth day we were moving, I started packing in earnest and got things almost finished in all but three rooms, the bedroom, the living room, and my kitchen. Mark called the movers and got everything we had packed transferred over. I finished packing the living room while they were hauling items out, so they took that stuff as well, while I concentrated on the bedroom next. I finished before they got back for the second truckload, labeled where things were to go and moved on to the kitchen, using the last of my energy to finish packing in there, Jack had been helping me and saw I finished the boxes just as the last of my reserved energy gave out. He pulled me in for a kiss and cuddle. We sat on the couch, which had not been moved yet, and looked around. Everything was all set to be moved and unpacked. We would need to buy all new furniture for most of the house, since the apartments we had been living in came with rented furniture. Since Jack and I were sweaty, tired, and ready for a break, we took a fast shower, drying off on the two towels I had left for us and changing into our last set of clean clothes here in the apartment. Our dirties went into the bag, marked for the laundry room of the new house, to be washed next time we did laundry. After that, Jack called Mark to tell him we had finished. Mark sounded pretty wiped out himself. Jack told Mark we were heading out as soon as the truck got back and reloaded the last load. We were going to stop at a few furniture stores and hopefully get some additional furniture for the new house, including spare beds and more seating. We were woefully under equipped for family, who would be visiting starting in just a few days now, the last week of January. It was already January twenty second, work started back up the next day, and I was now twenty seven weeks pregnant. 

Jack and I found plenty of furniture we liked and ordered what we wanted, to have it delivered to the new house that afternoon. We ended up getting three entire bedrooms worth of furniture for the in-law suite, desks for three home office setups, including two standing desks, bookshelves, a dining room table that expanded out to seat a huge crowd and chairs to match it, and three beautiful, overstuffed, matching couches for the living room. My big flatscreen was going to go on the wall above the gas fireplace and we could set the couches up around that to have room for everyone to sit and chat. We also got a number of accent chairs, a rocker, and three recliners, for the family room and nursery. Any other furniture could wait. Jack ordered some takeout while I was waiting in line and checking out, which he ran in and picked up on our way to the new house. We arrived just as the movers finished unloading the last of our boxes. We were officially moved in! Mark carried me in, opting to leave the wheelchair in the yard for a few minutes. I smiled and clung to him, trying to help make it easier to hold me. We passed Mark's terrible old couch, which was going in the basement after the new furniture arrived, in the 'man cave'. I had an art studio set up downstairs for myself as well, so I let the 'man cave' slide for now. This house had room for all of us and room to grow for years to come. We were hardly using most of the space and almost the entire second floor was going to be empty until the girls got older and needed rooms of their own. It was nice to know we wouldn't have to relocate to accommodate them later, just as it was nice to see Chica outside running around, losing her doggie mind over the yard and woods. We had put her on a long doggie run and put an invisible fence up so she wouldn't run away, but so far, she was sticking pretty close to the house, unless we were with her. Ryan had brought Lego over a few times to play with Chica already and the two dogs looked very happy playing together in our large yard. Mark set me down on one of the folding chairs we had set up in the kitchen at a card table to eat. I smiled as I looked out the french doors from the kitchen to the back yard. I could see everything perfectly.

Mark, Jack, and I ate our Thai food quietly, being pretty worn out from a long day. Mark told us he had unpacked a lot, and the bedroom should be all set for us. We all agreed to head to bed as soon as we finished eating. The refrigerator, extra freezer, and washer and dryer I had custom ordered were already here and hooked up, since I had ordered them from my mother's house. Just as we finished eating there someone came to the front door and rang the doorbell. Jack jumped up and answered the door while Mark put the food away and threw out the paper plates we were eating off of. When Jack didn't come back right away, Mark lifted me up and headed for the living room, putting me on the couch to go investigate. He threw the door open wide and I saw what had kept Jack. Our friends were all out there, as was Danica, with two moving trucks full of fan mail and items from the storage units and my office. We had overflowed everything, and everyone was here to pitch in and get thing in the new space. After all the boxes were unloaded and the trucks returned, Danica had left, leaving just our friends. Dan, Arin, Suzy, Molly, Mandy, Felix, Mary, Marzia, Ken, Wade, and Bob were all standing there, looking around our new house. "Mark, stop being a goof and show everyone around. All the boxes of fan stuff can go in the nursery for now, or as many as will fit. The rest can go in the office next door." I pointed. Everyone hauled the boxes to the indicated rooms, and Mark toured the group around the house. When they got back, I grinned. "Guys, thanks for coming over, but we need a few days to unpack before we can really entertain all of you."

Felix shook his head at me. "That's why we're here. You guys did all the hard work of packing, labeling, moving, and putting the boxes in the right rooms already, right? So we can come help unpack everything. Well, you and Marzia are just going to watch, unless you want to go unbox some of the fans stuff?"

I grinned and nodded. Jack brought the wheelchair in and set me in it, pushing me into the nursery. Marzia was going to be in charge of filming my reactions for my channel. I got to work, starting my intro as soon as she gave me the go ahead. I explained to the fans where I was filming from with much excitement. I promised as soon as I could, I would offer them a virtual tour, but that we were still getting moved in. In fact it was moving day, but I was taking the time out of that just to open boxes of fan made stuff and film it. I got to work. The fans knew the deal. Any letters were set aside to be read by me later, off camera. I opened thirty boxes total, pausing occasionally to comment about something that caught my eye for a longer segment, and stopping three times to do my outro and a new intro. After I reached the end of the thirtieth box, I did my outro again and signaled Marzia to stop filming. I was done. 

We both were exhausted and roamed out to see what everyone else was up to. I was astonished to see nearly everything was already unloaded from the boxes, the boxes were all collapsed and ready to be disposed of, and everyone was sitting on whatever furniture they could find in the living room, chatting. We blinked. "Oh, so you just forgot about us, poor pregnant ladies, sent off to work alone? How is that for nice, Marzia?" She giggled as Felix, Jack, and Mark ran over to the two of us. Jack and Mark both hugged me and apologized profusely. I smiled tiredly at them, which apparently worried them more. Felix was hugging Marzia and whispering to her, and she back to him.

"Okay, guys, we really appreciate all the help, but we have to get [y/n] to bed right now. She's too exhausted to even be mad at us and clearly needs to lay down." Mark turned back to me. "Babe, just how much did you do?"

I yawned hugely. "Uh, I think about thirty boxes, why? I mean I broke it up into about four or five videos. Marzia could probably tell you for sure. I was losing track there at at the end." I yawned again. "Ugh. I'm so tired, my eyelashes actually hurt. Bleah."

Jack and Mark stared at me. "Thirty boxes? Ye didn't think that maybe that might be a bit too much after all the packing ye did today?" I put a finger to my lips and shushed them. I was too tired to argue. I closed my eyes and leaned back in the wheelchair. Jack looked at me for several minutes, clearly ready to launch into a tirade when he realized I had just fallen asleep. He told me about it the next morning as he took me to the bathroom. Mark informed me he shooed everyone out and both men hauled me back to bed, changing my clothes before they tucked me in and curled up with me, but I never woke up or even knew they did anything at all. They were still grumbling when they got me to the car and Mark drove us all in to work. We had been so busy with the changes in our personal life, we had honestly forgotten about the changes at the office as well, so when we parked in my usual spot and headed in, everything looked dramatically different. All the cubicles were gone, banished to the third floor office space. Our offices were in the same spot, but now there were several new offices. Vicki's office was no longer on this floor either, leaving just the talent of the show on our floor and the recording studios, of which there were now eight. Felix, Jack, and Mark had dedicated recording studios, with fancy name plates and a small sign on each door with their logo. Bob and Wade had a shared studio, with two recording setups. Mary and Ken had another, again with two recording setups inside. Molly, Matt, and Ryan were sharing another studio setup the same way. Marzia and I also had our own studios. I was stunned. My channel was no where near where most of our friends were. I supposed it must be because I also filmed all the promos. After we explored our new setups, I noticed my new studio was located between Jack's and Mark's which had been moved. I grinned as I pointed this out to them. The grinned widely too. Mark's office had been moved as well. Now, instead of being across the hall from me, his office was moved to were Matt had been, next to me. Matt was father down the hall and Felix was in Mark's old office, across from mine. In fact it looked like nearly everyone except Jack, Wade, Bob, and I had been completely reshuffled as the new offices went in. 

Almost as soon as everyone got to the offices, and we had all been asked to report in around nine, Vicki showed up to meet the new cast, explain how everything was going to work and tour us around the first floor, which was for the TV show filming, and the third floor, which was for office space and editors. Vivki looked absolutely gobsmacked when she saw me, looking as pregnant as I did. She rushed over to me. "Oh my god! I had no idea you would be this big. And you still have quite a long way to go don't you? [Y/n], you're going to have to wait until later to appear on the show, that's for sure. We aren't actually going to start filming until about April anyway this year. We want to have the script completely worked out and ready to go ahead of time, so we can have a smoother time of things this season. That, and the conventions will be on break until June."

I smiled. "I will have had the babies by then. Actually, I'm at twenty seven and a half weeks now, so I'm getting close. Doctors consider anything over thirty weeks successful for more than three babies. Thirty four weeks is optimal, but I really don't think the girls are going to wait that long." I rubbed my belly. The babies were kicking up a storm ever since I woke up this morning. 

Vicki eyed me nervously. "Well, as long as you are cleared to work. I don't want you doing anything risky or against doctors orders."

I chuckled. "Actually, I'm fine. I just have to stay in the wheelchair or lay down. My doctor saw me the day before yesterday and is quite pleased with where things stand right now. I will let you know if they change, of course, and I will want four weeks of maternity leave, if possible."

Vicki grinned. "Actually, I'm going to insist you take off from whenever you need to until we are almost ready to start filming. You are a workaholic and I know you are just going to work from home anyway, so basically, after today, you can work from home everyday until April if you want. Oh, and Jack and Mark can too, as long as they have enough of a lead in. I don't know how many videos they have in their buffer right now, but it would be better to bleed them down now and record new ones after they are ready to come back. I know you rotate them, but even so all three of us seem pretty exhausted."

I laughed. "Of course we are. We just spent two months traveling, bought a new house, and moved in yesterday. Give us a few days to recover and we'll be back to full steam ahead. Oh, that reminds me. The apartments Jack and I have, which were rented through the company here, we want to keep for a few more months, but then you can end the leases. We have a massive influx of family coming for the babies, so we want the extra space to offer them. After they all go home, the apartments can revert back to the company, or however this works."

Vicki looked at me, surprised again. "You just moved, YESTERDAY?!? Jeez. And as for the apartments, you and Jack will have to meet with HR, turn the keys in, and discuss your pay adjustments with them. We actually have a small HR office now, upstairs."

I nodded and she moved on to talk to Marzia and Felix, greeting them and welcoming them to the show crew. After she talked to them for several minutes, she moved on to Ken and Mary. After the brief office tour, I wheeled myself back to my office, Jack and Mark just behind me ready to take over pushing me if I should look like I needed a break. I was surprised, pleasantly, to find my crew all waiting in my office and I gave them all proper greeting as soon as I was in the door far enough. They didn't stick around, only having stopped in to say hello and tell me they were very happy with the way Danica acted as my second in command. She was clear and relayed excellent messages as soon as they came in. I grinned and thanked everyone for stopping in, reminding them that just because I was on a different floor than they were, I still was their boss and to come to me or Danica to have the problems relayed to me. 

When they left, I rolled the rest of the way in and dropped my purse by my desk. I was already exhausted and the day was just barely started. I booted up my computer and logged on, checking emails and handling small crises before they became big problems, as usual. Danica came looking for me around noon. "So, boss, are you glad to be back? Or are you wishing you still had a few more weeks off?"

I looked at her. "Honestly? I'm glad to be back. I only have work to concentrate on here, not my schedule, my two boyfriends, my family, their families, buying a house, packing, moving, buying all new furniture, and coordinating schedules while being told I need to rest more." Danica laughed. After a minute, I did too. "Oh god. My life is a mess! I still can't believe I spent two months traveling and still bought a house over my break. Thank you for being such a rock star by the way. You are doing amazingly well at your job, which is now so far outside the scope of what you were originally hired for, it's ridiculous."

Danica laughed again. "I was hired as your assistant. That means I assist you. You don't exactly do what most editors and department heads do, so I can't expect to either. Honestly, I have no idea how you keep up with everything so well, even when you're away. You reminded me about things way more than I had to remind you."

I smiled tiredly. "Thanks. Honestly, is there anything that can't wait to be dealt with until tomorrow or the next day?" Danica shook her head after a quick check of her notes. I smiled. "Good. Then I'm officially not doing anything for the rest of the day. I might take a nap or goof off online, but nothing important unless it suddenly comes up. See you tomorrow, Danica."

She laughed again as she left. Jack poked his head in as soon as she was gone. "Love, are ye okay?"

I had closed my eyes and put my head down on my desk as soon as Danica started for the door. Now I raised my head and opened one eye toward Jack. "Eh. I'm sooo tired. Too tired to think or move."

Jack grinned. "Well, then, let's get ye on the couch were ye can nap. I'll cuddle with ye. It's not like I have anything else I have ta do right now. I can answer comments while we rest, okay?" I nodded. Jack came over and leaned me back in the seat, pushed me over to the couch, and lifted me from the wheelchair to the couch, seating me in the middle and himself on the end. As soon as he was settled with his computer, I leaned into him and closed my eyes. I was asleep soon after. Mark came in and snuggled into my other side a little while later. I woke up and shifted positions, leaning against Mark now and pulled Jack down so he was laying on my baby bump, his laptop on his knees. I played with his hair for a while, letting my mind wander, before sleep overtook me once more.

The rest of the afternoon passed in the same manner. We ate lunch with the group, everyone in my office like usual, but other than that, we just relaxed and rested. It felt like the calm before the storm to all of us and I was preparing for a major crisis to come in and shake things up, but praying I was wrong. 


	64. Calm Before the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are quiet and almost normal...

Time seemed to move both more quickly and somehow slower after we returned to work. Before I knew it, it was the very last day of January and we were preparing to have the families come out for extended stays. Momiplier had already landed, just this morning in fact and she was setting up in one of the four bedrooms in the in-law living quarters pr guest house, as we were calling it. Jack's parents were flying in this weekend, to help celebrate his birthday, which was just over a week away. Mom was going to come out and visit for a few weeks now too, to help us get the nursery in order, visit California for the first time, and see the new house. Actually, several of my aunts, uncles, and cousins were going to fly out to visit, although they had all made their own hotel arrangements. Darrell and Clarissa were taking a quick trip out just after Jack's birthday to see the new house before Clarissa was too far along in her pregnancy to fly. Eddie was bringing Ray, and they were going to take a longer vacation, visiting places all over the state. They would be staying in Mark's apartment, which we had yet to try to sublet or end the lease on. Darrell and Clarissa would be in Jack's apartment. Dee was coming out to visit as well, and we had offered her a choice of a room in the guest house, or use of my apartment, but she had chosen the guest house, much to our surprise. Even Thomas and Julie were flying out to help us celebrate the new house and Jack's birthday. They would be the ones staying in my apartment. 

I had been planning Jack's birthday celebration in secret for months, ever since my own birthday, in fact. Jack claimed it was no big deal and we didn't have to do anything for him, but I had a plan. I had worked with Mark and our present to him was going to be flying his siblings in for a week to visit and see the new house around his birthday. We had booked everyone's tickets so far ahead we had gotten an amazing deal, making it a lot more affordable, and we were going to have them all stay with us, in the guest rooms on the second floor. Jack didn't know they were coming, and I had arranged all of them to fly in on the fifth and leave on the twelfth with some flexibility on the dates, in case something came up.

I had been in major nesting mode for the past week, driving both men in my life slightly crazy. This did mean however, that everything was unpacked, the freezers were full of prepared meals, the house was spotless, and the babies room walls were covered with designs for them to paint in. I had made some truly gorgeous stencils, decorating the lower parts of the walls myself. Jack and Mark had already started painting the stenciled designs of our channel logos, warfstaches, Tiny box Tims, and SepticEye Sams everywhere on the pale lilac walls of the nursery. I had helped them assemble the new baby furniture as it came in as well, so the nursery was nearly ready. I had snuck in yesterday and painted the girls names in a pretty script on each of their cribs in silver and gold paint. Everything was nearly ready. I knew the girls weren't due for a while yet, but I had the nagging suspicion that the planned due date was not going to be when the girls actually made their entrance. I wanted to be ready as soon as we possibly could be. After we were ready, it would be time to party for Jack's birthday. I smiled and rubbed my belly. The girls were rolling around and hiccuping a lot this morning, but at least they weren't kicking.

Since I had been working from home this week, along with Jack and Mark, I had gotten through the fan mail. We were still getting a lot of stuff, and I decided to vlog today about just that. I asked Jack to help me. Mark was busy, helping his mom set up her room and get settled. Jack nodded and agreed. We set up the camera in the nursery. I was sitting in the new rocker. "Hey people, it's me! [Y/Y/N] here, here with a baby update. Also, Jack is helping me film today, before anyone asks. Mark is around too, but his Mom is in town, so he's helping her get settled for her visit." I took a breath and looked down at my stomach. "As you can all see, I'm still VERY pregnant. The doctors have me on restrictions of no walking, so I'm either sitting or laying down all the time right now, and have been for a while, as most of you know. The girls are moving and grooving in here a lot, and today they all happen to have the hiccups, which feels really strange, especially since they are all out of sync when they move from the hiccup." I giggled a little. "Anyway, the main reason I'm vlogging today is two things. We are finally settled in our new house. This is the nursery, which as you can see is almost done. Mark and Jack are going to finish painting the stenciled patterns in this weekend. The furniture is all here. Everything is assembled and ready to go. Now we come to reason number two for this vlog. We have been so lucky to have all of you as fans and we love seeing all the beautiful things you have sent for us, but please, we have more than we can use already! We know you love that we give the extras to charity, but we are still being flooded with boxes everyday. Thank you, but guys, ENOUGH! We really can't use anymore of ANYTHING!" I looked at Jack. 

"Ye are amazingly caring people, and we really do thank ye, but she's right. We get so much tha postal service is mad at us and we have overfilled TWO storage units. We've been trying ta get [y/y/n] ta rest, but she is in full nesting mode and seeing boxes of unopened things is making her crazy, so she feels tha need ta open them. And we are definitely not saying don't make us amazing art, we're just saying, maybe don't buy us things or make us quite so much. Ye know how many boxes [y/y/n] opened tha day we moved in here, after we sent her off ta rest? Thirty. That's before she stopped recording. So please, no more for a while." Jack turned the camera back to me. I was blushing.

"Jack! You don't need to make me sound like a workaholic." I put my head in my hand for a few seconds. "Even if I am one. Well, anyway, that was all I wanted to say. We are getting the house ready for the babies and all the company we are expecting to have soon. Also, we are getting ready to celebrate Jackaboy's birthday in just a few days! Busy, busy, busy, just like always. Well, that's all for me for now. Until next time, I'm [y/y/n] saying, be kind to one another and remember a smile can change someone's day for the better. Love ya all! *Mwah!* Bye!" I signed off with my usual air kiss to the camera, which Jack, being sneaky, turned the camera around and grabbed dramatically, holding the 'caught' kiss to his heart in his fist. I giggled tiredly and Jack whispered something to the camera that I didn't catch before high fiving it and shutting it off. I looked at him again. "Having fun sweetie?"

He grinned. "Ye bet. Now, ye need ta take a nap. Do ye want ta nap in bed, or on tha couch?" 

I thought about arguing, but was too tired. "The couch. And Just let me send the video to Danica to edit first. I want to have it go up today."

Jack shook his head. "Nope. I'll send yer vlog ta her. Ye just sleep. Ye have been overworking and Mark and I are getting worried. If ye keep pushing yer body, yer heart will start ta have trouble again and tha babies could be in trouble. Just relax and let us take care of ye for a bit, love." I snuggled into his arms as he carried me to our new couch. He laid me down and started to walk away, but saw my face and came back, lifting my head up and settling in behind me. I snuggled closer and relaxed as he rubbed my head, played with my hair, and hummed quietly. I love his voice, whether he's singing, humming, talking, or even doing his weird voices. Mark's too, but Jack's voice was soothing to me in different way. And it wasn't just the accent, as he seemed to think. It was just him. I closed my eyes and let myself drift off, surrounded by the sound and smell of one of the two men I loved, feeling safe, secure, and incredibly loved. I didn't even wake up when he moved, lifting me up gently and setting me back down so he could get up and go take care of sending my video and making dinner. I also didn't notice when he came back and put the blanket over me and the pillows under my head.

When I woke up, it was to the smell of dinner. I yawned and stretched, sitting up slowly. I dragged the blanket around my shoulders as I sat up, feeling chilly from just waking up. I looked around. No one was in sight. I shrugged, grabbed my drink and drained it, and turned on the TV, looking for something interesting on Netflix. I decided to watch some old episodes of one of my favorite recent shows Chuck. It always amused me. I settled in, laying back down on my side, curling my knees up, and wrapping the blanket tightly around me. My head was propped perfectly on the pillows and arm of the couch, so my viewing angle was great. I hummed along with the theme song when it came on, and generally just enjoyed myself. I could hear Jack and Mark in the kitchen. I suspected Momiplier was there as well. Suddenly, I thought of something and paused Chuck to look at the time. Crap, Mom would be at the airport already. I decided to call in to the kitchen. "Mark?" 

No answer. "Mark? Are you in the kitchen? Jack?"

Jack popped his head out. "Hey, love. Feeling better? Ye look a lot less tense and more rested. Mark went ta the airport ta go pick up Dee."

I blinked. "What about my Mom? Her flight is set to land in fifteen minutes if it's on time. I thought Mark was going to pick her up."

Jack blinked as well and stepped out of the kitchen, followed by Momiplier. "Uh, I think he forgot. Can she take a cab?"

I bit my lip and suddenly had an idea. "Jack, sweetie, hand me my phone. I bet Dan can pick her up! He knows where we live, and I haven't gotten the chance to tell Mom yet anything other than the address, but she told me she didn't write it down." Jack nodded and I called Dan, asking him to run to the airport and get my Mom. He immediately agreed and I hung up with a relieved sigh. "He's on his way to go get her now." 

Jack came over and sat next to me, hugging me close. "I love ye, lass. Ye worry about everyone else so much, but ye need ta focus on yerself and our babies now. Relax. Ye don't have ta do anything else tonight. Mark's mom got all tha rooms in tha guest house set up and all tha beds made. She's making dinner, and I was helping, but if yer awake now, I can come snuggle ye instead. What are we watching?"

I moved so Jack could get settled then shifted the pillow to under my feet and cuddled my body into his, my back against him. He stopped for a minute and lifted me up, stretching his legs out on the couch and settling me in his lap. I handed him the pillow for behind his back, which he took and we settled in, snuggling together comfortably. Jack rested both hands on the babies and I leaned back into his chest, my head on his shoulder. He leaned his face forward and we kissed. "Love you Jack. Thanks for snuggling with me. I was just rewatching Chuck, but we can watch something else if you want. I've seen all the episodes a bunch of times, I just really like the show."

Jack grinned. "Whatever ye want ta watch is fine. Honestly, I just want ye ta relax and take it easy for a bit. Ye've been doing way too much."

I made a face. "Then why does it feel like I'm so lazy and unproductive? Honestly, I feel like I've barely done anything since Halloween."

Jack shook his head gently, brushing against the side of my head accidentally. "Love, ye have been dealing with growing the babies up strong and healthy, dealing heart issues, and adapting ta changes in yer life at an extreme rate. Just because ye haven't been as active doing some of tha things yer used ta doesn't mean ye aren't productive. Besides, before ye know it these little ones will be here and ye will be recovered and doing the three and a half million things ye always do at once again. The doctors have said ye will probably deliver early. Any guesses as ta when?"

I turned my head towards him. "I don't know how I know, but I am sure it will be before the end of February. I just hope the babies aren't too small and early. I know they are going to be premies."

Jack smiled. "Well, happy birthday ta me then. That's an incredible present. And I know ye and Mark have been planning something else, but I don't know what. I just hope ye aren't doing too much, love. Stress and overdoing things could make ye go into labor early." 

I smiled. "I am relaxed about your birthday, you dingus. It's everything else I'm stressing about. I just hate having so much upheaval at once. It seems like everything has been in a constant state of panic since we met." I laughed suddenly. "You know, I still can't believe all this started just over a year ago. My life has certainly changed in a year."

Jack grinned, looking at me again. "Yes, mine and Mark's too. Ye have no idea how much better ye have made our lives."

I kissed the tip of his nose. "Oh, yes I do. I also know how much better my life is because of you two as well. Now, let's watch some TV. I think I'd rather watch cartoons now. You game?" Jack grinned and nodded, leaning his head forward to press gentle kisses into my cheek, jaw, and neck. I reached an arm up and gave him an awkward one armed hug. Jack smiled and rested his chin on the spot where my shoulder and neck joined, looking at the baby bump. I looked down as well, smiling. The girls were moving, making my skin twitch, but it was soothing and somehow comforting to know they were all okay and happy, even if I was extremely uncomfortable at twenty eight and a half (or so) weeks pregnant. I turned cartoons on in the background, Adventure Time since it was easy to find, and relaxed into Jack. I was lulled almost to sleep, just by his presence, the calm, and the love he was clearly radiating. 

I thought of something about the time the second episode came on, but was to relaxed and calm to do anything except mention it to Jack. "You know sweetie, we really should get an emergency bag ready so when the babies do come, I'll have clothes and stuff on hand." 

Jack lifted his head and looked at me again. "Okay love. Do ye want to go do that now?" I shook my head and shifted positions just slightly so I was snuggled in a little closer. Then I grabbed the blanket and pulled it up to my chin. Jack laughed. "I'll take that as a no. Ye seem too comfortable ta move right now. We can do that later tonight, okay? Markimoo can help."

I nodded. "Sound good. Oh, and we should put the baby seats in my new minivan. I can't believe we got a free minivan from a corporate sponsor. It's certainly going to make life easier." Jack grinned and nodded, kissing me again. He seemed to want to just snuggle and steal kisses all evening tonight, and I was perfectly willing to oblige. We settled back into watching the TV and stealing kisses, just enjoying being alone together for a little while, when Mark and Dee came home. Mark came over and grinned at us commenting on how cozy we looked. I looked up at him, no longer annoyed about him forgetting my mother, but not too pleased either. "Hey, Mark, aren't you forgetting something? Or should I say someone?"

Mark looked completely confused for several long moments before recognition flashed across his face. "Your Mom! Shit babe, I'm so sorry. When does her plane get in?"

I looked at my phone. "About forty minutes ago. But don't worry. Jack mentioned you seemed to have forgotten, so I called Dan and he's going to get her. You owe him a favor."

Mark swallowed and nodded. "Yeah, or three. I'm so sorry." 

I waved him off. "Eh, Mom will like meeting Dan and your mom can feed him to make up for this. Now hush. Jack and I are relaxing."

Jack grinned at me as I leaned back against him again. Mark pouted for a few seconds until he heard Dee and Momiplier both laugh. Then he blushed and turned around, guiltily. "Sorry. So Dee, let me show you where the guest house is and let you pick a room. Mom, do you need any help?"

Momiplier shook her head. "Nope. Dinner's almost ready. And your lovely girlfriend is right you know. You do owe your friend a favor besides me just feeding him."

Mark blushed again as he lead Dee to the guest house. A little while later, just before Mom and Dan arrived I turned to Jack. "Sweetheart, can you help me up. I have to go to the bathroom again. The babies are putting too much pressure on my bladder."

Jack grinned and sat up, shifting me as he did so, then he stood up and lifted me into the wheel chair, helping me to the toilet and pushing me over to wash my hands afterward. I grabbed his hand that he had rested on my shoulder with both of mine and leaned into it. "Thanks Jack. For everything. You and Mark are my two rocks, supporting me all the time."

Jack smiled and pushed me out to the living room again. before he could lift me out of the chair though, Mom and Dan arrived. I hugged them both, as best I could. Dan had been dropping by to visit and help us get settled nearly everyday, but I was always glad to see him. I had teased him that he might have to look for a house close by, just to save some money on gas. Mom hugged Jack when she saw him. "Jack! You look great, as always. Thank you for taking good care of my baby girl and my granddaughters to be. Knowing you and Mark are looking out for her really helps keep the worries down. And getting to know Dan here on the drive from the airport, it's great to know she has made such good friends."

I groaned. "Mom, I'm not dying. I'm just very, very pregnant. And I'm also right here. You don't have to talk about me like I'm somewhere else. Jeez." I turned to Dan. "Thank you so, so much for bringing Mom here from the airport. Mark was supposed to pick her up, but I took a nap and when I woke up Jack mentioned Mark had forgotten."

Dan grinned and shook his head. "Cut him a little slack, babe. All three of you have been running around full tilt since I met you. And things have been even crazier since Halloween, when you announced you were pregnant."

I grinned at Dan. "Oh, I know. And I'm not super mad, just mildly annoyed that I can't even take a nap without someone forgetting something." Jack leaned over and kissed me again. "Okay, that's not fair. Without Mark forgetting something."

Jack grinned and chuckled. "Not quite what I meant with tha kiss, but I'll take it. Just remember ta stay calm. That's what I was trying ta tell ye."

I patted his hand. "I am. Really." I turned back to Dan. "So, can you stay for dinner? Mark's mom cooked. I'm not sure what, but she has been cooking ever since I woke up from my nap, not long before I called you."

Dan grinned and nodded. "It would be rude not to, if you guys have the room."

I chuckled and gestured for him to follow me. I didn't realize it but everyone followed me. I wheeled myself to the dining room and turned on the light. The gorgeous drop chandelier lit up our new dinner table. "I think this will be plenty big. It even expands to seat more and we have extra chairs in storage. I plan on making full use of this space when the families visit. And for Jack's birthday in a few days." Jack blushed and grinned at me. 

Dan smiled. "Well, I guess that's settled then." We all nodded and headed back to the living room. Then I noticed Mark and Dee coming back our way. I looked at Jack, mischievousness and humor taking over my face.

Just as Mark came back in and was about to get settled I spoke up, putting on a poker face. "Oh, Mark, can you show Mom where to put her things and help her with her bags? Thanks sweetie."

Jack leaned over. "What's the plan? I know you have one. I could see it on your face when you saw Mark. What did you wait for?"

I chuckled and explained. "I was waiting for him to almost sit down. Then I made him go help Mom. The next time he comes back to sit down, I'll suggest he go help his mom or see if the table needs set. Then when that's done, I'll suggest he take everyone on a house tour. Basically, anything to prevent his butt from actually settling on the couch."

Jack chuckled in my ear. "Count me in. Oh, and maybe mention we should install the baby seats. And how complicated they are. That they need someone with an engineering degree to understand the instructions."

I giggled and nodded. Dan was watching us, curiously. Dee had stepped in the kitchen to help with dinner however she could. I looked up and saw Dan watching. I grinned at him. "Don't worry you're safe. We're just planning something else." I looked toward the kitchen and mouthed "Mark's payback." Dan grinned. I turned back to Jack. "I could also mention I'm starting to worry that we don't have a bag for me packed yet. That could take him a while to gather, especially since I can then remind him of each item he probably forgot to add, one at a time." I grinned evilly. "This could go on all night. Thanks for helping Jack."

Jack laughed. "Better ta be on this side of it than ta cross ye." I laughed as well, nodding.

So that's exactly what we did to Mark. Everytime he was about to sit down someone would suggest something that needed done that he could tend to, or a chore he had promised to do. Momiplier, Dee, and Mom all got in on it too. Dan stayed out of it except to watch. Occasionally, one of us would wait until he actually sat down before making the remark or comment that got him up again. It took him until nearly nine thirty to figure it out. I had just mentioned the car seats. Jack mentioned he had looked at the instructions and they were so complicated only an engineer could figure them out. Mark looked over at us, suspicion all over his face. I kept the bland expression I had been wearing, but Jack was fighting back a grin. Mark jumped up and pointed a finger. "YOU'RE DOING THIS ON PURPOSE!! Everytime I sit down or am about to, someone makes me jump for something else. I knew it!"

I looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "What are you talking about Mark? Or should I say yelling about?" Jack ducked behind me, trying not to laugh. 

Mark looked at me closely. I maintained the bland expression. Finally, he looked at his mother, Dee, and Mom who were all watching amused. He pouted and gave me a grumpy look. "I knew it. You all ganged up on me while I was gone." He looked back over at me. "Alright, I give. You can admit it. You're all torturing me because I'm a doofus and forgot to get your mom right?"

I smiled at him, like he was a particularly dim student. "Very good Markimoo. Actually, though we have only been sending you to do things we really do need done, at least so far. And we really do need to install those baby seats soon. But not tonight." I wheeled myself over next to where he was slumped on the couch and leaned forward kissing him on the forehead. "I forgive you. I think Mom does too. Come on. Don't be a grumpy butt."

Dan giggled. "Mark and Arin. I'm totally going to call him a grumpy butt tomorrow. And I'm going to blame you, [y/n]. On camera. See if I don't." 

I grinned, rolling my eyes. Mark chuckled weakly and tried to keep looking grumpy, but failed miserably. He looked at me. "How can you do that? Keep your expression from giving you away?"

I gave him a steady look. "I learned it playing strip poker in college."

All eyes in the room turned to me. They looked to see if they could tell if I was serious. I kept my face still, letting them look for a long moment. When they looked away, at each other I ducked my head and grinned. Jack saw and burst out laughing. "Ye really had us going there love. We almost believed ye." 

I shook my head grinning from ear to ear. "It was too easy. Honestly, what do you think I did in college? I was a geek girl who spent all day everyday studying, watching anime, gaming, or building computers. Occasionally, I would go to the gym and kickbox to relieve stress. I even went LARPing a few times. And I dated a little. Sang in a choir. Nothing crazy."

Mark grinned. "Wow. Hardcore geekdom. Next you'll tell us you were a chess team member in high school."

I blushed. "Shut up Mark. You were in marching band."

His eyes widened. "You were in a chess club? What else?"

I looked at my hands. "We didn't exactly have a chess club according to the yearbook. It was just the valedictorian of our graduating class, me, and some underclassmen who all played against each other every morning. And I was in the art club, drama club, choir, nursing club, head of the science club, ran the AV equipment, started an out of school D and D group, church member, Sunday school member, National Honor Society student, and volunteer for several local organizations, like the Red Cross, library, and teacher's assistant. And I was a girl scout for as long as there was a local troop." I blushed again. "I was a very geeky girl. I tried to start a computer club, but there wasn't enough interest." 

Jack looked at me, surprised. "Ye were pretty busy. That's kind of amazing, with what ye told us before."

Mom looked at me, sad. "You told them about your past, and your father?" I swallowed and nodded. She looked down. "Good. It's good you can finally talk to someone about that stuff and someone understands. I'm so sorry I didn't know what was going on better."

"Mom! We never blamed you. Any of us." Jack came over and lifted me out of the wheel chair settling me on the couch between him and Mark. They both hugged me close. "Thanks guys." I looked at the two of them. "And you have my permission to tell your families, but please wait until I'm not there. It's still really hard to talk about or hear discussed. It causes so much panic and anxiety, and I really can't handle anything else right now." They both nodded. Dan looked concerned for me as well. I sighed. "Dan, I promise to tell you someday, but definitely not until after the babies are born and my heart is no longer at risk, okay? It's a long complicated issue involving my past and abuse. It's bad."

Dan nodded. "Of course. And if it's too hard to talk about, don't worry about telling me. I understand."

I smiled at him. "Thank you. But talking about it does help, at least some. It's just really, really difficult."

He nodded and looked at the time. "Well, I better go. I have to record tomorrow with Arin. It's getting late. I'll see you all soon, okay? And [y/n], try to relax and not stress okay? Call me if you need anything! Bye!" We waved as he left.

I peeked at my phone to see the time. "Guys, we better get to bed too. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, for my weekly checkup, and we still have lots to do. Besides, I bet our mothers are all slightly jet lagged and it's probably catching up with them right about now." I looked over them and smiled. Momiplier smiled back and nodded. Dee nodded as well, trying to hide a yawn. Mom still looked sad and worried about me.

Mark went over to help the moms up and lead them to the guest house. They had three separate bathrooms in there so we know we wouldn't see them until tomorrow. Jack lifted me up and carried me back to the bathroom to get ready for bed. I decided I wanted a shower and Jack was willing, so we got in, me using the shower seat so Jack didn't have to hold me the whole time. Mark found us when he came back and joined us in the enormous shower. The two men helped me wash up and washed my hair for me. It was comforting and relaxing and I almost fell asleep. Mark wrapped me in a towel while Jack gently dried my hair with a towel when we were done. I was more than half asleep when the guys carried me into the bedroom and helped me into my nightgown. Mark grabbed the blow drier and Jack started gently brushing and combing my hair out while Mark dried it enough for me to sleep. It was getting a bit long, the shoulder length bob I had started out with now grown half way down my back and the streaks of dyed hair slightly faded. I looked at them and grinned. It was time for all of us to refresh the dye in our hair. I didn't have one solid color like Jack and Mark, I had streaks of blue, green, red, and purple. My fans loved it and to be honest, so did I. I had grown so used to it that I never regretted doing it after my last boyfriend dumped me. I liked it longer than he had liked me to keep it as well, and Jack and Mark both like to brush my hair and play with it. After they finished brushing and drying it tonight, I asked them to help me braid it, so it wouldn't tangle so badly overnight. They did, after I showed them how. "You guys are going to need these skills you know. You are going to have four little girls who will want their daddies to help them fix their hair. Even if they are tomboys or geek girls." 

The guys grinned and nodded. After they finished braiding my hair, we snuggled under the covers looking at our phones and tablets to check social media one last time before we fell asleep. I set an alarm and reminded Mark to do the same, since occasionally we had slept through just one alarm. We soon drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LAST CHAPTER BEFORE THE BABIES ARE HERE!!! (I'm so excited to write them in finally!) and a huge congrats to Kenna B, the reader who guessed my plan last chapter. Yep, the babies are coming on Jack's birthday!


	65. Jack's Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, everyone's here for Jack's party. Let's have some fun! 
> 
> Also, BABIES INCOMING!!

I woke up on the morning of Jack's birthday with a terrible backache and mild nausea. By now, I was so used to both of these occurrences I didn't even notice they were there. I rolled on to my other side and looked at Jack, waiting for him to wake up. I was just enjoying the quiet, peaceful morning with my men, when I heard someone outside the bedroom walking down the hall. I smiled, wondering which of Jack's siblings was up, or if it was one of his lovely nieces or nephews. Everyone had flown in earlier this week, arrivals scattered between the last few days. Jack was so surprised, he just couldn't stop thanking everyone, Mark and I included, for planning this. Eddie and Ray had also arrived at the end of the week last week and Darrell and Clarissa actually the only ones not here right now, and they were arriving tomorrow morning. I smiled to myself. Today was going to be a great day. As I lay there, thinking, Mark woke up, snuggling into my back and nuzzling my neck, also watching for Jack to wake up. I reached an arm back and patted his leg, silently wishing him a good morning. I could feel him smile against my neck. He pressed a kiss into my neck and shoulder in response. My thoughts drifted back to Jack and our plans for the day. 

The grandmothers to be, who had taken over the kitchen completely were all going to cook a big meal for everyone around eight thirty. After breakfast, my aunts, uncles, and cousins, who were all out here visiting now, were coming over and we were going to have a birthday party for Jack at the house, everyone pitching in to decorate while Mark, Jack, and I headed off to my weekly doctor's appointment and a picnic lunch. This evening, barring any issues at the doctor, we were having a party in the back yard, around the pool, with all our friends and family. There would of course be games set up, the pool, and video games so even if the kids didn't want to spend time in the company of the grown ups, there was room and activities for all. Besides, we had Chica and some woods to explore. I smiled. Chica had been getting so much attention lately and she loved it all. She had finally stopped whining when she saw me and stopped trying to jump on me at every opportunity as well. She was such a sweet and lovable dog, and all the kids in the family loved her. I was seriously considering getting another dog for us, maybe for Mark's birthday or as an extra surprise for Jack today. We had the room, and it's not like we had a shortage of love or people to help us take care of them even if we did have to go away for trips sometimes.

I felt a tight sensation across my belly and suddenly realized I had been feeling the same feeling for a while now, ever since I woke up. It felt like a muscle spasm, or something unknown to me and I worried a little, but put it out of my mind as best I could. Today was going to be all about Jack, not me. I smiled and looked at Jack again, just as he opened his eyes. My smile got much bigger. "Good morning sexy. Happy birthday!" Jack's sleepy sexy smile was enough to almost still my heart. I leaned forward and kissed him, unable to help myself. "Did you have a good night's sleep?"

Jack yawned and nodded. Mark leaned over me and wished Jack a happy birthday as well, adding his own good morning. Jack grinned. "Were ye two just watching me sleep and waiting for me ta wake up?" I blushed a little and nodded. "Thank ye. That's really sweet." He leaned forward and kissed me again. Then he leaned down to the babies. "And good morning ta daddies little princesses. Are ye being good for Momma today?"

Jack looked at me surprised when none of them moved around or kicked. "They are being very quiet this morning. I think they are still asleep." I smiled as I watched him patting my tummy and winced slightly as I felt the strange muscle tightness again. Jack must have felt it too. 

"What was that, love?"

"I'm not sure Jack. It just started this morning, I want to ask the doctor when we go to my appointment this morning. Now, let's get up and go get some food before we have to leave. I heard someone out in the hall, so I know at least a few people are already up."

Mark helped me out of bed and the guys helped me get dressed. I had chosen a black skirt and purple and blue sweater that was soft, warm, and absolutely gorgeous. As Mark settled me in the wheelchair, the nausea hit me a little harder and I must have paled and wavered a bit because both men came around to the front of the cahair and kneeled in from of me. "Babe? Are you all right?"

I tried to smile. "I'm just feeling a little queasy this morning. The girls must be pushing my stomach up and compressing it again. I'll be fine. Let's go say hi to everyone." 

Both men looked at me, a little unsure if I was really okay. They eventually looked at each other and shrugged before each of them grabbed one of the handles of the chair and pushed me out, headed for the kitchen and dining room. We were almost the last ones up. Everyone rushed over to wish Jack a happy birthday so Mark and I hung back a bit, letting everyone past and staying out of the way. Momiplier, Dee, Ma, and Mom came over to me to see how I was doing after they all wished Jack a happy birthday. Something on my face must have given my discomfort away, I decided. I told them I was fine, just feeling a little queasy from the way the babies were positioned. All four of them looked suspicious and pulled Mark aside to talk to him, as a group. Jack came back over to me and wheeled me over to the table. "So, love, what do ye think ye can eat this morning?" I looked at all the food and shook my head. Everything looked like it would come right back up if I ate it. Jack looked worried. "Ye need ta eat something. How about a glass of milk ta start?" 

I nodded reluctantly. "Jack, honestly, I'm doing everything I can to take care of myself and these babies, and if I am too sick to eat one meal, it's not going to hurt any of us. Okay? And if I still feel bad later, I'll ask the doctor at my appointment. Now go enjoy your special breakfast. All our mom's have been cooking and made you something special. I'm okay, really."

Jack smiled, got me a glass of milk, and grabbed a plate of food. I wheeled myself out to the living room, unable to face the sight or smells of all that food any longer. I felt a little better when I got away from everything. I sipped the milk slowly and thought. Mark raced in the room a few minutes later, eyes wild, a huge grin on his face. "Babe! Our mothers think you might be in the early stages of labor. All your symptoms fit. The babies aren't moving around like normal, you're feeling queasy, and the odd muscle tightening Jack commented on. Does your back hurt?"

I looked at him, surprised. "Sweetie, my back ALWAYS hurts lately. But yeah, it's bad this morning." I bit my lip. I was nervous about the babies coming, excited, and scared. Also, I wanted today to be about Jack, not me or the babies. Then it hit me. A sharp tight pain that was intense and overwhelming. I gasped and doubled over. If I hadn't set the milk down before Mark came in the room, I would have dropped the glass now. I made a soft whimpering, whining noise. Then all three of our cell phones went off. My heart was acting abnormally now as well.

Jack came out at a run. "Love? What happened?"

I was still in too much pain to speak, so Mark looked at him and answered. "She's in labor, we think. Come on, let's go get her bag and tell everyone. Good thing we finally got those car seats installed yesterday!"

Jack's eyes got huge and he grinned widely. "Love? Are ye really having tha babies now?" I nodded and tried to remember how to breathe. Suddenly I felt a huge gush of something and I was sitting in a puddle. Jack noticed right away. "Yep, ye're definitely in labor. Yer water just broke. Come on, let's get ye to tha car." Mark came rushing back with my bag and saw me sitting in a puddle, grimaced slightly, and ran past Jack and I out to the dining room, telling everyone what was going on. Jack helped me out to the van, lifting me gently into the back seat so I would have more room. He climbed in the front and reached back, holding my hand. Mark climbed in the drivers seat after loading my bag in beside me and closing the door. 

I was panting heavily, trying to concentrate on dealing with the pain, and our phones kept going off. I distantly heard Jack call my doctor as Mark headed for the hospital. When the worst of the pain had subsided for a few minutes, I looked up at Jack. "Sweetheart, I'm so sorry to have ruined your birthday. The girls must have had their own party planned for you, or they couldn't wait to meet you and wanted to join the party early. Oh, jesus, the pain is awful. I hope the girls are all okay!"

Jack looked worried and grabbed my hand tighter. "Love, ye are doing great. Keep breathing. Don't worry about my birthday. This is an amazing present and ye didn't even need ta do anything else for me this year anyway. Ye and Mark have already done so much, and ye keep surprising me in tha most wonderful ways. I'm just worried about yer health, tha girls, and making sure ye are all alright. Ye focus on breathing and handling tha pain as best ye can, okay?" I nodded tightly. "Good lass." I closed my eyes to try to concentrate, but it was hopeless. All I could do was breathe as best I could. As soon as we got to the hospital, I was rushed off, Mark and Jack going with me, holding my hands and keeping me calm and steady. Something was clearly not right from the reactions of the hospital staff. 

I was rushed to the operating room for an emergency c-section. Just minutes later the girls were all delivered, one after another. They were taken over, cleaned up, weighted, measured, and tested. The results surprised all of us. One of the doctors came back over to talk to us first. "First of all, congratulations. All four girls are healthy. They all weight right around four and a half pounds, are breathing on their own, and so far are passing all their newborn tests with flying colors. The are all about the same size too, just over eighteen inches long. It looks like you were actually just over the thirty fourth week, maybe thirty five weeks from what the babies look like. We will be monitoring them for the next few hours, but they look good and we can let you see them in just a few minutes. First though, we have to talk to you. Your heart is still acting up and the cardiology department is on their way down now to help you figure this out. We know you have had some trouble in the past, from your medical records, which by the way, were very helpful to have with you, so thank you. Do you have any questions so far?" 

All three of us shook our heads. The doctors had just finished closing me back up and moving me from the operating table to a hospital bed. Then I thought of something. "How soon before I can be released?"

The doctor chuckled. "At least a few hours, depending on what the cardiologists say. More likely we will want to keep all five of you overnight for observation, but other than your babies being underweight and small, since they were early, everyone looks healthy. Oh, here come your daughters now. Any names picked out?"

I smiled and nodded. We gave them the names, which were then added to the babies wristbands, omitting last names for the moment. Samantha was the most active, punching the air with her tiny fists. Jack was enchanted and immediately asked if he could hold her. The nurse helped lift her up and handed her to him. He started cooing at her and humming gently and she settled down, becoming still in his arms. Mark was staring in awe at the babies as well. He asked to hold Tiana. I was handed Danielle and Stephanie, at my request. We were all beaming happily and tears were in our eyes as we stared at our tiny daughters. All of them so perfect! Suddenly I realized what this actually meant. I turned to Jack. "Well, happy birthday indeed Daddy. You and all our daughters will have to share the day from now on." Jack grinned and leaned over kissing my forehead.

"Thank ye love. They are amazing and perfect, just like their momma." He looked at Mark, who was staring intently at Tiana. She was sleeping peacefully, and Mark was just staring, as though he were trying to memorize her tiny features. Suddenly he looked at us and grinned hugely. 

"She looks like me, when I was a baby, from the pictures I've seen. Oh god, she's so beautiful. They all are babe. You did amazing." He leaned over and kissed my forehead, being careful not to disturb any of the girls. Sam made a quiet mewling noise and flailed slightly in Jack's arms, opening her eyes. They were the same incredible blue as Jack's. She also had Jack's slightly pointed ears. I had no question who fathered which of our daughters. Jack was clearly the father of Stephanie and Samantha. Mark was also clearly the father of Tiana and Danielle, sharing the same strong nose, chin, and eye shape. Danielle opened her eyes and made a small noise at me, waving a tiny hand. Her eyes were also the same chocolate brown color as Mark. I looked at him. He was watching as well and chuckled. "Danielle and Tiana really are twins, you can see they have the same eyes. What are we going to do about the last name situation?"

I chuckled. "Well, the girls are clearly their father's daughters. Why don't we hyphenate? Tiana and Danielle can be Fischbach-McLoughlin, and Stephanie and Samantha can be McLoughlin-Fischbach."

Both men nodded. "Sound like tha perfect solution. Unless we want ta make them all have tha same last name."

Mark smiled at Jack. "That works for me. McLoughlin-Fischbach. That way Sam's initials still spell her name." We all nodded agreement. A few minutes later, just after I figured out that Danielle and Stephanie were trying to get me to feed them and I got that straightened out, the cardiologist team came in, lead by a somewhat familiar face.

"Dr. MacBrady! Hi! Good to see you again, sort of."

Dr. MacBrady grinned at us. "Well, ye seem ta have a few more guests this time, lass. I knew ye were more than friends. Now, let's see what yer heart chart says here shall we?" The doctors all huddled together. 

I grinned and kept feeding Danielle and Stephanie. A few minutes later Stephanie had finished. I looked at Jack. "Jack, sweetheart, can we switch babies here? Stephanie needs burped and Samantha needs feeding. See how she's rubbing her face against your chest? She's hungry." Jack carefully handed Sam to me resting her on my chest while he took Stephanie and held he on his shoulder to burp her for the first time. He was good at it, having had some practice from when his nieces and nephews were born. Stephanie burped several times and he moved her back to his arms to cradle her. I smiled as I watched him interact with his daughter, my heart overflowing with love. Mark was watching both of us and all the babies as much as he could. Danielle finished a few minutes after Stephanie and Mark and I did the same balancing act Jack and I had done to switch babies. Tiana settled in and started feeding hungrily, just as Samantha had. Mark held Danielle as though she were made of fine crystal, not a baby who needed burped. "Mark, you need to rest her on your shoulder, like Jack is doing with Stephanie. Danielle needs burped. I can't feed all four of them and burp them at once. You need to learn how to do this, sweetie." I bit my lip as Mark struggled to figure it out. Jack stepped over to help, showing Mark the correct technique. Mark caught on fairly quickly and was soon burping his daughter. I relaxed a little and looked over at the doctors who were watching us and discussing my case. I smiled and looked down at Sam and Tiana. Sam had her little fist curled in a punching motion again and her other hand was covering her face, her fingers splayed over her nose in a familiar pose. I laughed out loud. "Jack, your daughter is trying to steal your pose now. Look at this." Jack came over and grinned. 

"Sam really is a little boss. That's adorable." I nodded. Mark grinned as he watched us. When Danielle let out a small burp right in his ear, he jumped a little startled. It made Danielle lurch and she cried a little until Mark got her settled back in a more comfortable position and started patting her back again. She settled back down quickly though and Mark got more confident as she settled on his shoulder. Before long Stephanie and Danielle were asleep in my boyfriends arms and Tiana and Sam were finishing up. When they finished, I transferred them to my shoulder and burped them, settling them in quickly. They also fell asleep while we waited for the doctors to decide what to do. Finally Dr. MacBrady stepped forward. "Lass, yer pregnancy was a huge strain on yer heart. Tha nasty virus never died away either. Ye need ta kill it now. Tha babies are here and a week on a strong medicine will knock the virus out completely. Ye can even breastfeed during that time, the medicine doesn't transfer ta tha babbies. But going inta labor early like ye did tore yer heart a little more. We need ta run a few tests, but ye may need some surgery. Do ye object ta having a scan of yer heart done now? Ye won't even have ta move, except ta put the babies down." 

I looked at the girls, cuddled against my chest now, sleeping peacefully. "I guess you can move them. But please, don't take them out of the room." I looked over at Jack and Mark, who were now sitting in the recliner and on the couch off to one side of the room, still holding the babies. "Mark, sweetie, can you call our family and let them know what's going on?" He nodded and grabbed his phone doing the one handed dial move. I grinned. "Jack do you want to put Tiana and Sam in their baby beds? Make sure you tuck them in tight, I don't want them to get cold. "

Jack put Stephanie in the baby bed with her name and came over, taking both girls from me in a double handed carry. He snuggled them both, sitting back on the couch, grinning at me. "Stephanie can take a rest in the bed for now. I want to hold Tiana and Sammigirl." He rubbed noses with each of the babies, one after the other. "They really are as beautiful as can be love. Just like ye. Now let the doctors work on ye. We all need ye to get better. That would be tha best birthday present ever."

I smiled at him and settled back. Mark finished the call to our house, grinning. Then he called Wade, Bob, Felix, Dan, Arin, and Ken. After he had told everyone the news, they all agreed to postpone Jack's party until the girls and I were cleared to come home, which might be a few days, or might be later that evening. Dan told Mark he was coming to meet the babies right away, and apparently the grandmothers were all on their ways as well. Mark filled us in on the conversations while the doctors set up the machine to take images of my heart and put the gel on my chest. The scans took several minutes and I was informed they would need to take me for a more in depth test in a little while, but for now, I was just supposed to rest, heal, and if possible, drink more fluids. They also hooked me up to an IV, with a bag of the new medicine for my heart, a bag to keep me hydrated, and a bag of pain medicine that would help me with the pain from the c-section. I thanked the doctors and laid back, tired. Mark handed Danielle to me and picked up Stephanie, cuddling her close. We were all relaxing and snuggling the babies when Dan got there, just a few minutes later. "Dan! That was fast. Meet the girls. Mark has Stephanie Eileen McLoughlin-Fischbach. I'm holding Danielle Melody McLoughlin-Fischbach. Jack has Samantha Alanna McLoughlin-Fischbach and Tiana Esmeralda McLoughlin-Fischbach. They are all healthy, were just over eighteen inches long when they were born and all of them weighted just over four and a half pounds."

Dan looked at me. "Whoa! Your stomach looks so different already. And holy crap those babies are cute. You work fast though. I thought when Mark called he said you went into labor this morning? It's only eleven am now."

Mark grinned. "She had to have an emergency c-section because of her heart condition. That's actually why we rushed in so fast. But we got here around nine fifteen and the girls were already delivered by nine forty five. It was really fast. The really good news is all four of them were able to breathe on their own right away and they have already eaten their first meal. [Y/N] breast feed them all. They fell asleep almost immediately afterward though." He looked down at little Stephanie in his arms. "Dan, they are amazing. They already have me wrapped around their tiny fingers and I never want to let them go." I smiled at him and shifted positions slightly, which made my abdomen ache. Danielle whimpered slightly in her sleep as well, turning her head to face the other way. I gently hummed to her, soothing her without thinking about it. 

Dan grinned at me. "I knew you'd all be amazing parents. Now, can I please hold one of these tiny babies? I promise to be careful."

Jack grinned and stood up, walking over to Dan and handing him Samantha. "Dan, here, take Sammi. She's definitely got a ton of personality already. She's been punching and doing boss poses ever since she came out." Dan took Sam holding her awkwardly at first. "No, support her head in yer arm, like this, and cradle her little butt. There ye go. Like that." Jack grinned at Dan. "Yer pretty good. I've had loads of practice, what with my nieces and nephews, friends who've had babbies, and holding the occasional fan's baby while they looked for something for me ta sign."

I yawned, catching the eye of all three men. Mark shook his head at me. "Sleep babe. We can handle the babies for a little while. You need the rest. We can handle things for a little while." I shook my head stubbornly and cuddled Danielle closer. 

Jack grinned. "We weren't going ta take tha baby from ye unless ye looked like ye were going ta drop her. Just lay back and relax love. Yer body has been through a lot. Don't forget tha doctors said ye were over a month further along than they had thought. I wonder how that happened?"

We heard a throat clear in the doorway. It was Dr. Sara. "That's my fault I'm afraid. I might have mis-measured, or the babies might have been small for their age when I looked. After I got a due date in mind for them, I kind of stopped checking, just making sure they looked healthy and were developing properly. This kind of thing happens a lot, but not usually so far off. I think it was probably also because the fact that there were four of them in there, making it harder to get an accurate measurement. What it really means to all of you though is that they are barely premies at all. Basically, they are just underweight, they should have few, if any lasting medical issues in the future. Actually, it's rare for multiples to get so close to the due date without major issues." She smiled at us, still looking apologetic. "Sorry to intrude, I just had to check in on my favorite little patients and Mommy. I'm sorry I couldn't make it in here in time to be here for the birth, but it sounds like it was chaotic enough as it was. Now, did I hear you say before that you had names picked out? I can take a few minutes and make up the birth certificates now if you're ready. Oh, and how do you want to address the father issue?"

I grinned. "Actually, we can tell who the fathers of each of the girls are, just by looking at them." Dr. Sara came over to me and we filled in the birth certificates, one at a time, adding each babies tiny footprint and handprint to the document. When the doctor saw the babies up close she knew what I meant about the fathers. Tiana and Danielle just looked so much like Mark, it was amazing, except for the hair color and their complexions, which were more fair like mine instead. They also had my mouth shape and nose, tiny button like noses, which were supremely adorable. Actually, all four girls had my nose, hair color, and complexion. And all four girls had their daddies eyes. Stephanie and Sam also had Jack's eyebrows, much to our amusement. Tiana and Danielle had my eyebrows, which were also large and mobile, but not quite as epic as Jack's. After all the birth certificates were written up and submitted, we settled back to talk to Dan and rest. Dr. Sara left again, giving us some privacy once more. Dan had been here for about an hour before he stood up and handed Sam back to me, claiming he needed to head back to the Grump Space. He promised we would have plenty of visitors later, because all the grumps wanted to come see us after work, but everyone had work to do today. I smiled. "Thanks for stopping in Dan. I appreciate the support. I'll see you later." I looked down, feeling Sammi squirming in my arms. She was reaching for my breast again and starting to wake up. Feeding time again. I asked Jack to take Danielle for a minute and rested Sammi in my lap, while I undid my gown and got ready to feed the hungry babies again. Sammi latched on immediately and started feeding, Opening her eyes to look at me this time. I smiled down at her, loving the amazed look on the tiny face. Tiana let out a high pitched wail as well, so Jack handed her over as well. Danielle and Stephanie slept on for now. Tiana latched on right away as well and started feeding, also opening her eyes. She stared at her sister and me, looking amazed and slightly confused. I giggled. "Hey baby girls. That's your sister. Tiana, my sweet little angel, that's Sammi, one of the little girls who's been punching and kicking at you repeatedly in my belly. Sammi, love, that's Tiana, one of the other babies who was crowding you, kicking you, and fighting you for everything. Now, out here there is lots of space, so no fussing and not fighting. And there is lots of love and cuddles, so we share, okay? Good girls." I stroked their soft baby hair talking to them quietly as they fed. Both girls finished eating at the same time and I moved them to my lap, leaned against me as I took Danielle and Stephanie. Jack took Tiana to burp and Mark held Samantha, burping her like a pro this time. Danielle and Stephanie latched on and started eating hungrily. I was starting to feel like a cow being milked and suddenly understood the doctors concern over getting dehydrated. Before I the babies had even finished nursing we heard a noise in the hall and suddenly we had an explosion of grandmothers in the room. I grinned. "Hello grandmothers! Say hi to the babies. I have Danielle and Stephanie right now. Jack has Tiana, and Mark has Samantha." 

All four women grinned and cooed at the babies. Mark handed Samantha to Momiplier. "Here Mom. I was just burping her. You can take over if you want. Sammi is really sweet. Actually, they all are so far. And Mom, Tiana and Danielle look like tiny versions of me. They are so cute. Sam and Steph look like Jack. Actually, all four of them look like their gorgeous and amazing mother as well, but we can clearly see who takes after who." Samantha opened her eyes and waved a hand at Momiplier, melting four more hearts. I grinned, watching..

Mom walked over to me. "How are you doing, [y/n]? Are you alright?"

I looked at her. "Yeah, Mom, I'm fine. They had to do an emergency c-section on me because of my heart, and they put me on some stronger medicine that doesn't transfer through my milk. They also need to run another scan of my heart in a little while. I wanted some more baby time first and needed to feed these hungry little babies again first. This is already their second feeding. They are being really good about taking turns right now, but the first thing I'm going to need to do when we get home is pump some extra, so we can feed all four of them at once if we have to." Stephanie opened her eyes and smacked her hand against my chest, gently. I looked down. "Calm down, Stephanie. No one is going to take the food away. You can just settle right back, okay? Good girl. Momma's here." I smiled and stroked her hair, soothing her. Danielle continued to eat and watch us, her eyes open now as well. As soon as I shifted position or handed the babies to Jack and Mark, the girls had closed their eyes again, but while they were eating, they stared at me and each other. I looked up. Jack had handed Tiana to Dee to finish burping. I smiled. Mom stroked my hair and kissed my forehead. I closed my eyes for a minute, just relaxing and trying to capture this perfect moment in my memory like a photograph. 

When I opened my eyes, I saw Ma had come over to my other side and was stroking the babies hair with one hand and mine with the other. "Ye did an amazing thing here, lass. All four babbies are perfect and ye managed ta get the boys in line too. Thank ye. I've never seen Jack this happy in his life."

I smiled. "I'm happy and relieved too. The babies really are perfect. And they are safe. They are a little underweight, but not dangerously so. They can all breathe on their own. They are thriving." I looked over at my other two daughters and cleared my throat, to rid myself of the sudden lump of emotion. "Okay, now that the girls are here, we need to decide grandmother names, and right now is a good time. Who wants to be called what?"

The women all looked at each other. Mom spoke up first. "Can I be Grandma?" The other women looked at each other and nodded. One down, three to go...

Ma spoke up next. "Anyone mind if I'm Granny? My other grandbabies already call me that, so it would be my preference." No one objected. Two down, two to go...

Momiplier smiled and looked at the baby in her arms. "Well, I'm partial to Nana." I smiled. Everyone agreed. That just left one grandmother to decide...

I turned to Dee. "Well? What would you like your grandchildren to call you, Dee?'

She looked surprised and flattered to be asked. "How about Grammy? That's what I always called my grandmother, and I like it." Jack, Mark and I all smiled with relief. That went smoother than any of us had feared. 

"Okay. We will tell the girls to call you Grandma, Granny, Nana, and Grammy. And Mark is Papa. Jack is Daddy. I'm Momma or Mommy. Pa is Grampa. I think that covers the parents and grandparents." I sighed. Danielle chose that moment to stop feeding and gurgle at me. I smiled. "Now who want to burp Danielle here?" How about Grandma takes her? Okay, here you go Mom." I handed Danielle off to my mother and cover up my left side, still feeding Stephanie on the right. When she finished, I handed her to Ma. "Here you go Granny. Burp Stephanie for me please. I need to rest a bit. I'm kind of achy and am feeling a bit dehydrated. Those little girls of ours can really eat!" Ma took Stephanie happily, moving over to sit on the couch where the other grandmother were grouped with the babies. Pa was over there as well touching and smiling at all the girls. Jack and Mark came over to me, kissing me, and hugging me close to them. They both climbed onto the bed, on either side of me, being very careful not to disturb any of the machines or tubes, and cuddled me, relaxing me until I fell asleep. 

When I woke up, Jack was the only one next to me. The grandparents had all gone home. Mark was holding Tiana, cuddling her close. Jack had placed Sam on my chest, and was holding Danielle and Stephanie. I yawned and smiled sleepily. Jack kissed me as soon as he saw my eyes open. "Did ye sleep well love?" I nodded. "Good. The girls are just starting ta make tha motions that they want ta be fed, so if ye can, I think it's time again."

I groaned and started feeding Sam and Danielle first. Stephanie was more patient I had noticed and as long as someone was holding her and rocking or humming to her, she was alright to wait. Tiana seemed to be the same way. Sammi was impatient and cried unless she was fed right away. Danielle was hard to tell. Dr. MacBrady came back in trailing a few of her coworkers. "Oh, good ye're awake now. I peeked in at ye a bit ago any ye were asleep, which is very good. Ye need ta rest and take it easy for at least a week so tha medicine can kick that virus completely. Now, that means ye and tha tiny lasses have ta stay here and be monitored. And no extra stress on ye for that time. If yer lads can help ye stay calm, like before, they can stay. Ye can have all the visitors ye want as well, as long as ye stay calm. So far, ye are a rock star. And from tha testing we did earlier, yer heart is alright. Before ye leave, we will need ta do a more intense scan, but it's not urgent and ye need ta bond with yer babies more right now. We know ye are a sensible lass, so we can trust ye more than some patients. Do ye have any questions or need anything from us right now?"

I thought for a minute. "Um, actually yes. What are my dietary restrictions? And how soon can I eat something? I'm starting to get really hungry and feel a little weak. I couldn't manage anything today, and I have honestly not been eating much for days, because these babies were crowding my stomach so much." I bit my lip. "And does it have to be hospital food, or can I have people bring me food from outside? I'd kill for a plate of chicken teriyaki, some broccoli, brown rice, and potstickers."

Dr. MacBrady laughed. "Ye can eat whatever ye like, no restrictions. And yes, people can bring ye food from outside, as long as ye tell us what yer eating. Clearly ye need ta be eating more ta keep up with feeding tha babies, and ye need ta be drinking a lot more. Ye are still dehydrated and it's getting worse, according ta yer latest batch of tests. Now, what would ye like ta drink?"

I smiled. "I would love a big glass of raspberry or peach tea. Or blackberry. Or peach-raspberry. I'm not picky." 

The doctor nodded and put typed something on the computer. I turned to Mark. He was grinning at me. "Babe, before you even ask, yes, I wil go get you some takeout food. I'll get extras stuff too and some food for Jack and I. You and Jack can handle the babies for a bit, yeah?"

I nodded. "Thanks Mark."

He leaned in and kissed me, handing Tiana to Jack. "Anything for you babe. Jack, you have any requests, or should I just surprise you?" 

Jack rocked the girls in his arms. "Whatever you want Mark. Today, I'm more worried about [y/n] and tha girls. Even if it is my birthday."

I smiled. "Jack, I'll be okay. It's okay to ask Mark to get you what you want for your dinner tonight. Or late lunch. Whatever this meal is going to be. I'm sorry we are going to have to delay your party. At least this way everyone is getting to meet the babies in the same trip and we are going to have lots of help when we get home!"

Mark winked at me as he left and I suspected he was going to stop and buy Jack a surprise. Besides, Mark and I knew what foods Jack likes best, so he would probably order them for him as well. Sam smacked me, bringing my attention back to the babies i was feeding. "Hey there little girl. No smacking Momma while you eat. Smacking me means you are all done. Got it? Good. Now eat peacefully and then it's nap time again after Daddy burps you and maybe changes your diaper. Would you like that? I think you would."

Jack started laughing. I looked up at him. "Ye just asked our daughter, who I might remind ye, is less than a day old, ta stop smacking ye. Do ye really think she'll listen?"

I grinned. "Probably not. But I had to say it anyway. It made me feel better." She finished eating and I handed Sammi over to Jack. He had put Tiana, who was still sleeping, in her hospital crib. He had set Stephanie on my lap. I picked her up and she latched on, feeding as soon as she got settled. "Oof. God, my boobs are starting to get sore. Too many mouths here." 

Jack grinned and then looked apologetic. "Sorry love. Tha babies need the food. I was grinning because I have a dirty mind." I smirked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I know. Ye already know that." He sighed. "I wish Mark and I could help with this part."

A nurse walked in with an enormous drink for me. "Actually, sir, you can. We have been watching the cameras of the room, and we think the reason the babies are feeding this often is because probably Mommy here hasn't started producing quite enough milk yet. So, we are going to start supplementing the feedings with bottles. You and the other gentleman who is here all the time can give those bottles. And actually, we could switch to having her feed only every other feeding, to help with the dehydration issues Mommy is having. That's probably why she can't make enough milk to feed everyone enough. Well, and the fact that there are four of them and they were early."

I was conflicted about this news. On one hand, I was thrilled not to have the constant drain on my body, on the other, I felt like the babies would benefit more from breast milk than formula. I bit my lip. Jack looked at me. "Love, look at me. This is not yer fault. Ye need help. And tha girls will still be getting milk from ye, just not for all their food. Unless ye want ta try pumping ta get ahead?" I winced. I did, but I wasn't ready and that wouldn't help with the dehydration. 

The nurse was shaking her head anyway. "No. She needs to rest her breasts more so she can build up her milk. Trust me. And I do understand, you want the best for your little ones, right?" We both nodded. "Then accept some help. You'll feel much better and be able to do more sooner than if you are stubborn and try to struggle through on your own. We should start them on bottles now. Hang on a minute." The nurse walked out and I looked down at the girls, fighting tears. Danielle detached from me. I moved her to my shoulder and burped her. She fussed for a few seconds before she settled back down. The nurse came back in and took Danielle giving her the bottle. Danielle, the little traitor, took the bottle and started eating, hungrily again. I was astonished. The nurse smiled. "You just burped her, right?" I nodded. "Yeah, that's why she's hungry again. At this age, you need to feed, burp, and feed again. Also, normally, you would switch breasts between burping them, but you won't need to do that, since you have to rotate babies just to keep everyone fed. Now, daddy, here's a bottle for you. Feed the little girl you have there, getting yourself settled. Perfect. Now, can you take this one too, so I can hand Mommy her other daughter to start feeding? Great job Daddy. Here we go, Mommy. One more little girl to feed. I'll be back to check on you in about fifteen minutes and help you switch the babies around, okay? Great. And Mommy, you need to drink at least half of that drink by the time I get back, got it? Good." She stepped outside, making notes on her tablet as she went. I made sure Tiana was settled and picked up the drink, taking a long sip from the straw. It was blackberry tea. I closed my eyes and drank as much as I could hold for now, about a quarter of the glass. I let the girls feed as much as they would take and lifted Stephanie up to burp her. After she had been burped thoroughly, I settled her back against my breast and she started feeding again. I drank another long drink, taking as much as I could again. The nurse stepped back in and nodded at me approving of my drinking while I breastfed. I lifted Stephanie away from my breast. It felt like she was just sucking and not getting anything, and from her face, I think I was right. I sighed. The nurse saw and took the baby, giving her a bottle. She stayed to help get the babies burped, changed and finish the feeding before she left again. I had managed to drink two thirds of the glass of tea by the time she left. Jack settled the girls in their beds, but instead of putting them one per bed, her shifted them around, putting them two by two, and pulling the beds over to my hospital bed. Then he climbed in beside me to snuggle. I fell asleep again. Mark woke me when he came in with food. I ate hungrily and grinned when I saw all the extra food he had gotten. He was allowed to stash it in the nurse's station fridge, with our names on it and an extra bed was rolled into my room before it got too late in the evening. Jack explained the changed feeding routine while I ate. I finished my drink, much to my amazement, and a nurse came in to check on me just as I did. He grinned and pulled another out, claiming he had been holding it, in case I was uncooperative. I groaned but drank some of it right away anyway. 

The grumps all stopped in in the evening, turning the room into a confusion of noise, laughter, and friendly banter. Everyone loved the babies. When Dan noticed Jack, Mark, and I yawn, he shooed everyone out, telling us they would all visit again soon, but we needed to sleep while we could. We nodded, feed the girls for one final time before we all fell deep asleep, snuggled together. Jack's birthday had been a very busy day!


	66. Getting Everyone Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hospital is finally letting you come home with the babies. Time for that long-delayed party!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BEFORE ANYONE PANICS PLEASE READ THIS NOTE!! Yes, I did put an end number of chapters. Yes it's soon. No the story will not be over. I am just splitting into multiple books. And as some of you may have noticed I added a second series tag, just for this story and the ones to come. Good Gods, I had no idea this story would take over my life and my brain this much or that I would be looking at 70 chapters of this story or over 275000 words. I MAY take a small break for work on some of my other stories for a few days or a week before starting part two, but don't worry, it's coming soon. Believe me, I still have big plans for our growing family and would never just introduce the babies and abandon everyone! You all want to know who things turn out too, right? Anyway, without further delay here's today's chapter...  
> _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The girls and I ended up spending ten days in the hospital, due in part to them not gaining weight quickly enough and me being dehydrated and exhausted. Our family was amazing during this time, coming to visit us almost everyday and promising to extend their stay until shortly after we got to come home. Our friends were equally amazing, coming in every chance they got to visit and give Jack and Mark a break so they could go home and nap, or go get some food, or whatever they needed to do away from the girls and I. I had promised we would be okay if they needed to leave and none of our friends or family was here, but they refused to go. It can't have been comfortable to spend all that time in the hospital with us. I know I wasn't very comfortable in the hospital. The virus was finally gone though and my heart was scanned. I had been warned that I would eventually need to have a surgery to correct the defect, but should probably wait until the girls were a little older and not feeding quite so constantly. All four girls were now strictly breast feeding, no bottle supplementation needed. My c-section incision had healed up enough for me to resume normal life functions, like sitting up and going to the bathroom by myself, as well. All in all, life was much better now than it had been in a while.

I was up and walking two days before the hospital let us leave. They were still concerned, even when I left because of my issues with dehydration. In the day and a half before I was released, I was able to catch back up and get hydrated enough to be allowed to go home, with the promise that I would come back in if I started to fall behind. Jack and Mark were given a list of the symptoms of dehydration and promised to bring me back right away if I started to have any of them. The girls had all started to gain some weight now, finally, as well. Sammi had been the first to really gain weight properly and was still the most vocal about her feedings. She was now up to five and a half pounds. Danielle was next at five and a quarter pounds. Both Tiana and Stephanie weighed in at five pounds two ounces at their final hospital weigh in, just half an hour before we were released. I was almost unreasonable proud of the fact that all four girls were just over the five pound mark and feeding well every four hours. I knew I was going to have to keep my fluids up just to make sure I made enough breast milk so the girls could keep gaining weight and growing properly. The girls and I were scheduled for checkups in two weeks with a pediatrician and my regular doctor, just to make sure we were all doing well and no one had developed any issues. I was told I would have to ride a wheel chair out to the parking lot, which I grumbled about a little, but got into, holding Sammi and Tiana close. Mark was pushing me down to the parking lot. Jack had Danielle and Stephanie. We must have made an amusing picture, based on peoples reactions. We had two or three dozen balloons tied to the handles of the wheelchair. There were flowers tucked in everywhere and more flowers and gifts had aldready been loaded in the minivan. Jack had both girls in the infant baby sling I had helped him into, so he had one daughter in front and one in back, and both hands full of gift bags, mostly full of stuffed bears and soft toys, but also containing my clothes at the bottom. Mark had a backpack crammed full of baby supplies and a big silver and navy diaper bag slung over his shoulder as he pushed me. Both men looked rumpled and tired. I'm sure I looked a bit tired as well, but my clothes were fresh and I had just had a shower before they released me. My clothes were all from my early maternity wear, having lost a great deal of weight due to the breast feeding and having the babies. 

When we got out to the van, Jack loaded the girls into car seats, one at a time, tucking all of them in with blankets. I held Danielle, who had been riding on Jack's back, while he loaded the other girls. Danielle was sound asleep, having been worn out be the doctors tests this morning and her last feeding two hours ago. Stephanie was the only one of the girls awake right now, actually, and she was just watching everything and occasionally waving a tiny fist. When the girls were all secured, I got in the back with them, to act as a comforting presence and take care of anything that happened on the drive home. Jack and Mark got in the front after they loaded all the stuff we had received in behind the back seats. Mark started the car and drove us all home. I was relaxed and playing with Stephanie, just grabbing her hand and letting it go, leaning over her seat as we rode home. She reached up and grabbed my finger, squeezing as tight as her little hands could, making me smile. She made tiny little cooing sounds as she grasped my finger, looking at it with curious eyes of intense blue. She tried to stick it in her mouth to chew it as well, but couldn't quite figure it out, just managing to almost poke herself with my finger if I hadn't been paying attention. 

We arrived at the house just a few minutes after we left the hospital, far faster than I had expected. Jack and Mark came around to help me unload the girls, still in their carriers. I walked in the house for the first time in days carrying Stephanie, who was still sucking on my finger. Mark and Jack had the other three girls, still asleep, in the three baby carriers, which they were carrying carefully. Jack had Tiana and Mark had Danielle. They were both carrying Samantha's carrier, each of them with one hand on the handle. We managed to get all the way in to the living room before everyone came rushing out to greet us. It was a mob scene and it woke all the babies up. They were used to the quiet of the hospital, not the loud, boisterous chaos of all the family, so of course they cried a little. We got them soothed quickly though and they soon adjusted to everyone being loud and looking at them and holding them. The grandmothers of course were a huge help and between them, Mark, Jack, and I we soon cleared the chaos down to a manageable level. I settled on the couch, tired, and ever watchful as the babies were greeted and met all the relatives, one by one. If everyone didn't get to hold each of the different babies, at least they got to hold one or two of them before the girls started crying to be fed. I got comfortable and started feeding them, two at a time. Sam and Danielle were first again, Jack and Mark had Stephanie and Tiana, trying to soothe them until we could switch. They sat down next to me, gently rocking and singing to the babies for a few minutes. Fortunately, the babies calmed quickly. The grandmother hovered checking to see if there was anything they could do to help. When they asked that for the third time, instead of just saying no, like I had before, I answered with the truth. "Yes. I need to eat something myself soon and I need to drink a lot more right now. Can one of you go get me a large drink? Thank you!" 

Momiplier and Mom both raced off for the kitchen. Mom returned with a large glass of ice water for me, handed it over and headed back to the kitchen. Ma was hovering around Jack, playing with his hair and watching the baby in his arms. Dee was leaning on Mark's shoulder waving at the baby he was holding and making silly faces. I drank my water, as much as I could stand for now, and had Jack, who had been holding the glass for me while I kept breast feeding, set the glass on the coffee table in easy reach. After Sammi finished, I burped her and she fed again for a little bit while I repeated the process for Danielle. Before long they had both finished and were full, so I switched babies with Mark and Jack, who took over burping and changing duties while I fed our other daughters. Soon Sam and Danielle were asleep and Jack and Mark were changing and burping Tiana and Stephanie. The girls nearly always fell asleep right after eating, so we had a break for a while. I finished my drink and headed into the kitchen for something more to drink, remembering my instructions to keep hydrated. I grabbed the pitcher of apple juice and poured myself a glass, drinking it while I watched our mothers cook. Dee and Ma had come out to join Mom and Momiplier in the kitchen after Sam and Dani fell asleep. Momiplier noticed me standing there first. "Shouldn't you be resting? You did just have four babies and fairly major heart issues, you know. Stop pushing yourself. We can take care of things and you and the boys for a few days. You concentrate on the babies and building your strength back up to normal."

I smiled. "Actually, I'm doing really well. The doctors are more worried because I'm not eating and drinking enough. Apparently, not being able to face hospital food wasn't a good enough excuse for them. And I'm using a lot of calories and fluid to keep the girls fed. I was told my biggest concern right now is staying hydrated, so I finished my water and decided to come get some juice. I'm really okay now, I promise." I bit back a yawn.

Mom wasn't fooled. "Uh huh. Go relax, and try to take a short nap. Even if you are fine, tonight's going to be busy and you need your strength for the babies. I bet they aren't sleeping through the night either. Here, take this as a snack, take your juice, and go lay down on the couch for a little while. Even if you don't fall asleep, it will make me feel better, knowing you are resting. Now scoot." She handed me a sandwich and pushed me out to the living room. Mark and Jack had just finished getting the girls to sleep. I yawned and headed over to the couch. Jack looked nearly as tired as I felt, and I knew Mark was feeling the same way. I ate my sandwich as we watched the girls, curled up together, snuggling on the couch under a blanket. We had set up machines to rock the babies in their carriers in the corner, a gift from one of our corporate sponsor deals, and Mark and Jack had put the girls in there as soon as they fell asleep. They were all currently rocking on the lowest setting. As soon as I finished my sandwich and set my plate down, I drank the last of my juice and leaned onto Mark's shoulder. I was asleep almost immediately. 

I woke up to whispers in the doorway. "Are they all going ta sleep forever? How come we have ta be so quiet? Why are Uncla Jack and Uncla Mark sleeping too?"

I smiled and started to sit up, only to stop when I realized Jack was asleep on top of me. I looked at him, and kissed his head. I looked over at the doorway and saw Jack's nieces and nephews peering in. Pearl had a hand over the mouth of one of her younger cousins, clearly trying to keep them quiet. I grinned and winked, gesturing for them to come in, but putting a finger to my lips. "Hey guys. Sorry, we're all still very tired. The hospital wore us all out and the babies still haven't figured out how to sleep all night yet. Did you want to meet your littlest cousins?" I whispered. They all came closer and nodded eagerly. They hadn't been allowed in the room when the adults met the girls earlier and I knew they probably were as curious as anyone. 

Jack was waking up and grinned at me. "Here love, let me show them. Ye stay here and stay comfortable. We'll be quiet and ye can make sure Mark gets some more rest too." I leaned over and gave him a kiss, moving back against Mark when I felt him start to stir in his sleep. Mark settled back to sleep, feeling me still by his side. I fluffed his hair and watched him breathe for a few minutes, just enjoying the calm and peace of the moment. I also watched Jack show the girl to his nieces and nephews, whispering to them. He helped them reach over and gently rub their bellies or stroke their hair. Then he gently shooed them out the door kissing each of them on the cheek and telling them to go play quietly. "Sweetie, you could let them play outside too. They might like exploring the woods or playing in the pool." I looked at the kids. "Just check with your parents and make sure there is an adult with you, okay? We don't want anyone getting hurt or drowning."

They all squealed and jumped up, running to find their parents and go outside. I grinned at Jack, who was shaking his head. "They were doing so good, until ye mentions tha pool. Now, we need ta try ta rest up a bit more while tha girls sleep, I think."

I held my arms out to him, making little grabby motions with my fingers and hands. He grinned and came over, sitting back down next to me. I pulled him in closer for a hug and kissed him again. "They did really well. They were all gentle and quiet until they left the room. They're kids, Jack. We have to understand that they have less control than adults do. Now, cuddle with me. Mark's really asleep here, and I don't think I'm going back to sleep for a little while anyway." Jack leaned into me and wrapped his arms around me, just holding me close, but not pulling me away from Mark's side. He kissed me several times and we just cuddled like that for quite a while. Eventually, he fell asleep again. I smiled and rested, feeling loved and safe, happy to be home, done with medical issues for a while and ready to face the new adventures of raising four daughters.

**_{A/N-- I seriously thought about ending the story here, but I still have a ton of ideas for this and a few more surprises in store for our lovely reader, so it shall continue!}_ **

\------------------------------------------------

That evening, all our friends came over to officially celebrate the birth of our daughters, Jack's birthday, and my return to health. There was tons of different things to do and the house was crammed to the gills, overflowing into the back yard. Even then, we had more people packed into the space than I had realized. I sat on a pool chair and reflected quietly at one point, stunned to realize how many of these amazing people I had met because I took a chance on a blind leap of faith job across the country just over a year ago. I wouldn't know any of my current friends, my boyfriends, their families, or have the four little princesses currently sleeping at my feet. It brought a small smile to my face as I thought of this. Dan came by, and stopped when he saw me. "Hey, you look better and happy. What are you thinking about? The babies?"

I looked at him. "Not exactly. I was just thinking about how different my life has turned out because I took the job last January. I mean, I met you, Arin, Suzy, Jack, Bob, Wade, Molly, Mandy. Felix, Ken, Matt, Ryan, Mary, and Marzia, just to name a few. I wouldn't have my beautiful babies if I hadn't moved out here. Sure, my family would still be the same extended group of wonderful people, but I wouldn't have Mark's family or Jack's in my life either. I just was reflecting this was all a pretty amazing chain of events."

Dan grinned. "Sure, when you look at it that way. But listen [y/n], seriously, none of this would have happened if you were a different person either. We're all your friends because you are amazing. Now, come on. Mark and Jack sent me to find you. They want you to sing some Karaoke. Actually, all of us do. We want to see how good your voice really is. It seemed pretty good at your birthday party last year. Do you want me to help you wrangle the babies inside?" 

I laughed. "Yes, please Dan. And thank you." Dan waved a hand at me and picked up Tiana and Danielle, carrying them inside, grinning and talking baby talk to the two of them. I giggled a little and carried Sam and Steph in just a few steps behind him. 

By the time the girls had been fed for their ten o'clock feeding, the party was winding down. It was a massive success, but Jack, Mark, and I could barely stay awake any longer. We settled the girls in their bassinets and crawled into bed. We were all asleep as soon as we hit the soft, welcoming pillows.


	67. Adjustments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting used to the new schedule of work and babies is taking some getting used to.

Those first few weeks and months are a blurred memory to me now. I mean if I concentrate, certain things come back, like the horror that was the girls immunizations at two months. Really all any of us seem to remember is being exhausted. Going back to work so soon after the girls were born didn't help. The guys only took off three weeks and I was back by the time we all headed out for PAX East to promote the new season and our channels. The girls were in daycare while we were at work, mostly, though there were occasions when they came in with me. All four of them were getting some time on all three of our channels, though I was always the final editor for those videos. The gilrs were absolutely gorgeous and growing fast. By the time PAX East came around, almost at the same time as they turned two months old, they had truly started to look like little chubby angels. And their eyes, which had looked so much like their fathers when they were born, remained unchanged, unlike many babies. Momiplier, Dee, and Mom were getting together in Cincinnati to watch the girls while we were at PAX. Mom was hopping a plane at the same time we all were. We booked a flight with a four hour layover in Cincinnati, with Wade and Molly, who helped us with the girls on the plane. They were little troopers and flew like champs, despite all our worrying. Mom, Momiplier, and Dee met us at the airport and immediately took the babies with glee, telling us not to worry, they had everything under control and they would see us in a few days. Thomas has promised to check in and help as much as he and Julie could manage as well. Clarissa and Darrell had just had their baby a few weeks previously, and Eddie couldn't get the time off work, so it was just the grandmas and Thomas and Julie stopping by to help. Meanwhile, we flew to Boston for PAX. We had flown in a few days early, mostly to make sure the flight wasn't too much for the babies. We had planned if things were too rough to stay in Cincinnati a day or two and then fly to Boston, but it ended up not being needed. Mark, Jack, and I spent the extra few days catching up on sleep, lazing about, spending some quality time together, and just relaxing, something we hadn't been able to do really since last fall. The con was busy, but went really well. Everyone was asking us constantly about the babies and looking to see if we had brought them. Apparently, the fans were as avid to meet them as we were to show them off, but we had agreed, PAX would be too much for us to handle our schedules and all four of them. At home we had a ton of support, at PAX it would have just been us, because everyone else would have been busy with their own work. We couldn't do that to the girls or each other. So when the grandmothers had volunteered, we jumped at the chance. And it was amazing, being able to focus solely on work for a few days. As soon as the con was over however, we headed back to Cincinnati at top speed to see the girls and head home. All three grandmothers looked tired, but happy. We thanked them profusely as we headed out. 

Nothing else major happened for us for a while, other than adjusting to the new normal that raising four daughters and working so many hours a week was for us now. We all went to VidCon this weekend, the girls included. It was their first official debut to the public in person. Since they are now four, nearly five months old, they are really looking around a lot and making a ton of cute noises and chatter. They also started rolling over a couple of weeks ago, so we have had to put padding on the cribs and playpens to prevent bumps. They had been running into each other a little bit as they roll around too, leading to baby squabbles, which one of us, usually me, have to referee. But none of us mind. They are adorable and we can't imagine life without them. The fans were all ecstatic to meet them as well and so polite. The girls had almost as many fan photo requests as Jack and Mark. Meanwhile, my channel has grown a lot too. I'm nearing the four million subscriber mark and my content is varied between vlogs about raising four babies at once, animation, behind the scenes glimpses into our work world and the life of a camera crew, and talking openly about our poly relationship. Usually for these vlogs, Mark or Jack will join me, sometimes both of them. We try to do at least one or two of those a month. I have also had nearly forty universities and schools approach me to come speak about polyamory relationships. I haven't turned them down, but I have told them all it will have to wait until the girls are a little older and I have some spare time. They were all very nice about it and asked me to let them know as soon as I would be available.

Mark, Jack and I are all happy, don't get me wrong. We are just so busy that we feel like we can barely blink. The girls are finally starting to feed less often, which means fewer breast pumping breaks for me and less constant attention to their schedule. They have a lot more hours of awake time that is just play and learning. We love curling up on the floor with them on playmats beside us and reading to them and playing peekaboo. Sammi even tries to say boo with us. She almost has it too. Sammi is by far the most vocal of the group. Dani always surprises us, because she is quiet, but then will babble out a long string of sounds suddenly that sound a lot like speech. And she's the one getting teeth first. Actually, all four of them have a few teeth now, but Dani has four. She looks like an adorable Jack O' Lantern right now, if a slightly Asian one. Stephanie was the first to roll over and is pushing herself up to almost a crawling position, even if she can't hold herself there. Tiana, who is the smallest baby right now, is also the only one who can stay sitting up for any amount of time unsupported. She appears to be the strongest one too, because whenever the girls both reach for the same toy, she almost always ends up with it. And all of them are developing personalities that are so different. We think Sammi is going to be a tomboy, because any time we put her in a dress she cries. Tiana on the other hand seems to prefer dresses. Dani and Steph don't seem to care. Tiana likes to have her hair brushed as well, much to our amusement. None of the other girls will stay still for it and cry almost as soon as we start. She really is our little princess.

Stephanie has developed a liking to chewing on things that are the color red, much to our amusement and confusion. Dani likes yellow toys and will reach for them first. Tiana, in true princess fashion, always like purple toys, either to play with or to chew on. Sammi likes green and blue, although somehow I think that may be because most of her clothes have the SepticEye Sam logo and she is somehow just used to seeing those colors most. It's really interesting to watch the four of them playing because they usually reach for different shapes and colors from each other, instead of all of them going for the same toy all the time. And they are all very responsive to our voices. A few times, we put on one of our videos, sound only, when we were too tired to try to lull them to sleep and it always seems to work. We are very careful which ones we select of course, usually picking vlogs or cute fluffy games, like Slime Rancher, although the only rule we have established is no horror. And we aren't trying to censor ourselves too much. Curse words still fly pretty freely, although when they are a little older, I imagine that might change a bit. I have also started to wonder what the girls accents are going to sound like. Will they have slight Irish accents? Will they have California accents? Or will they have accents more similar to mine or Mark's? 

And Jack, Mark, and I have talked. We want to have more kids in the future, but not for a while yet. We want to wait until the girls are at least four or so before we even think about more kids. We have decided to get another dog or two though. I am hoping to have Jack and Mark watch the girls for a little while so I can go pick up the dog Jack and I found online over the weekend, a chocolate lab mix, ironically names Steve, who is just turning eight months old. He is housebroken already and supposed to be very friendly and loves kids. Since I have a doctors appointment anyway, to check on my heart now that things are settled a bit more, I'm hoping to go have a look and pick him up while I'm out. Any other dogs will have to wait a little while, since we have more than enough upheaval in our lives at the moment. Chica has seemed lonely lately however and I know Mark really wants another dog. This seems like a good solution. Oh, and Chica is amazing with the girls, sitting on the floor and watching them, patient when they get loud and squeal or when she gets a little too close and they pull on her ears or tail. The only real issue we have is all the drool. All four babies are teething and Chica is an epic drool machine, so we spend a ton of time cleaning puddles of drool off of the floors, furniture, and clothes. Laundry day, which used to be once a week, is now a near daily thing, just so we can keep ahead. And our 'gross out' meters have all permanently adjusted to epicly high levels. Babies have that effect, we have been told, and multiplying their messes by four means we are immune to most of it now.

Felix and Marzia have been visiting a lot to help with the girls and learn as much as they can about babies since their little one is almost here. He's due in just a few weeks now, mid-July, and both of the parents to be are nervous and excited. They have lots of practice with the girls in now though, so hopefully they won't be over whelmed. I have been warning Marzia the biggest thing for her to watch out for is dehydration and becoming sleep deprived. She has taken my advice to heart, I think, and we have all promised to help as much as we can. Dan, Arin, and Suzy are constant visitors too, coming over to play with the babies and give us a little down time. Actually, Arin and Suzy just announced they will be having a new family member before too long themselves. I grinned when they told us, congratulating them sincerely, while mentally giggling. Suzy caught my expression and pulled me aside to ask about it. "Well, it just seems like you were waiting to see how our Arin would react to babies and how well you both could handle a baby, by practicing with ours. Not that we mind the help. God, we would have been lost without all the assistance we have had. But now it seems like everyone I know is having babies like crazy, almost like they are trying to catch up with us."

Suzy giggled and winked at me. "Well, it was a factor. Your daughters are just too cute to be believed." I nodded grinning as we joined the guys back in the living room while the girls were napping. Since Suzy and Arin were going to stay for a while, I excused myself for my appointment. Jack offered to come with me and I smiled, nodding that was fine as long as no one else minded. Mark waved us out. Arin nodded and Suzy spoke up. "It's probably a good idea if someone goes with her when she has her heart checked. We have all had enough scares with your heart [y/n]. Go get it checked out. Felix and Marzia are on their way over and the girls are all sleeping. We'll be fine."

I smiled and Jack and I headed out. We did go to my appointment first. The cardiologist ran some scans and looked closely at my heart for a long time. "Well, Ms [Y/N], I think we need to have a discussion now that you are recovered from giving birth. You seem healthy enough, but your heart was slightly weakened by that virus. And the tear in your heart grew again during your labor, something we were all afraid might happen. We really need to schedule some surgery to fix the tear to see if your heart recovers back to full strength or whether you are going to need to go on a transplant list. The good news is, either way, this is a low risk procedure with minimal down time and scarring, since it is done as a minimally invasive surgery with specialized equipment. Also, even if you need to get a heart transplant, you will have a lot of time. You are young and healthy other than this, so you will have a good position on the list as well. Just try to avoid major stress as much as possible. Now, we can schedule this procedure for July sixth if that works for you. You will have to stay overnight, but then you will be released and have only minor restrictions for two weeks before you will be completely back to normal."

I looked at Jack, suddenly pale and shaky. I hadn't really thought I would need surgery. Jack came over and hugged me, not letting me go as he nodded to the doctor. "We can make that work. Thank ye." He leaned on me, supporting me as we got ready to leave and headed out to the car again. We decide to go ahead and stop to look at the puppy anyway, needing some cheering up. Steve was perfect, a sweet fuzzball with lots of energy. He sniffed us carefully and waved his tail, clearly liking the mix of new smells we provided. We fell in love with him immediately and bought him right away, bringing him home right away. Jack sat in the back, playing with him the whole ride home. When we pulled up, I slipped out of the front of the car and tried to put on a brave face, but I could feel my armor cracking under the weight of my nerves and concern. Jack didn't notice, bringing the puppy to the front door. Chica, who was usually not a vocal dog, barked when I came in, startling Mark, who looked up.

"Hey babe, how did the appointment go? Were you given the all clear?"

I bit my lip and said "Let's talk about it later. We have a surprise for you, Markimoo. It's your birthday present. Jack come on in!" Jack lead Steve inside, which was somewhat difficult as Steve kept stopping to sniff all the new smells. Chica stood up from her spot on the floor by the girls and walked over, sniffing him thoroughly. Mark grinned. "His name is Steve. When Jack and I saw the ad, we couldn't resist. He's eight months old, housebroken, and a chocolate lab mix. Happy birthday sweetheart." 

Mark immediately ran over to pet the new family member. Chica and Steve had gotten acquainted and were wagging their tails at each other full speed. The girl were watching and gurgling, drawing Steve's attention after a minute of petting and sniffing Mark. Steve walked over to them and sniffed them, sneezing a few times, making the girls giggle. Then he circled around them a few times and settled on the floor close by, watching the girls play. Chica had resumed her spot in the middle of the girls play area as well, making all of us smile. I sat down on the couch and watched the girls play and the dogs interacting, both with the babies and with each other. It was sweet. Jack sat next to me and leaned in close, resting his head on my shoulder. Mark sat down on my other side, sensing something was wrong. "Babe? What's wrong? What did the doctor say?"

Dan stepped in and could immediately see something was up from my facial expression. "Yeah, [y/n], you look a little freaked out. What's up?" Arin, Suzy, Marzia, and Felix looked at me as well. 

I sighed and leaned into Jack side, snuggling in close. "The news wasn't great from the doctor. It wasn't terrible either, but I'm just having trouble accepting it. I have to have surgery to fix my heart, the sooner the better." I tried and failed to stop the sob that was building up in my chest from escaping. Jack wrapped his arms around me, just letting me cry into him. Mark hugged me as well.

Jack finished telling everyone about my impending surgery. "Basically, they told us her heart was weakened by tha defect, tha tearing, and tha virus. They scheduled her procedure for July sixth, and told us she would have ta stay over night, with a two week minor restriction after that. It's really not bad, but they also mentioned if her heart doesn't respond well or doesn't get stronger after that, she'll have ta get a transplant." Jack rubbed my back as I continued to cry, not as loudly, but just as hard.

Everyone, Mark included, stared at me, worried. I could feel their eyes on me and see them all out of the corner of my eye. Jack continued to try to soothe me and Mark joined him after a minute to recover himself. I was finally able to stop crying and pull myself away from Jack. "Sorry about that. It just seems so overwhelming and unfair. After all we've been through, even something minor seems too much right now. And I'm supposed to avoid stress again, as much as I can." I made a face. "I have four infants under six months old, I don't know how possible that even is." I sighed again. "We had better call the family too, to let them know, even though they are all coming out to visit again a late birthday trip for Mark. If we don't there will be hell to pay."

The rest of the day was spent caring for the babies and calling our families to explain what was going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for no chapter yesterday. I was working on another story and the update for that one even didn't get out until after midnight. XP Fighting a teeny bit of writers block and unmotivation.


	68. Mark's party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Markimoo's birthday bash!

The week and a half between being told I would need the surgery and the scheduled date were hell. Time both moved far to quickly and at a snails pace, making it even harder for me to concentrate or accomplish things than the sleep addled state I had been in since before the girls were born. Even the fans noticed right away and Jack, Mark, and I were flooded with concerned comments. I had to make a special vlog to go up about my upcoming procedure and the fans went crazy, wishing me well and sharing horror stories about surgeries gone awry. If I hadn't had friends, family, and the girls to focus on, I probably would have gone out of my mind. Momiplier, Mom, and Dee all flew out to help us celebrate Mark's birthday, arriving a few days after my doctor's appointment. They knew about the results, so they had cleared their schedules to extend their stay a bit longer, to help out. We all appreciated it. Everyone else was coming for the weekend of the fourth to help us throw Mark a belated birthday bash. I had jokingly stated that the babies made us do everything a little late since they had arrived, referring to Jack's birthday, and our delayed arrivals at nearly every event we attended with them. For little girls who had insisted on arriving early into the world, they caused a lot of delays and lateness. My comment on this to the family amused everyone greatly. 

Meanwhile, Mark was settling Steve into the household routine. Steve was a great puppy. He was calm and not apt to chew on the walls and furniture if we left him alone for the day, unlike Chica. We had found we had to lock Chica outside to prevent her from chewing the house up when we left for work everyday. She was fine if we were around, but something in her doggie brain just snapped as soon as we all left to do anything. Fortunately, the damage had been minimal before we figured out she was fine if we left her outside and we got everything patched up and repaired quickly. Steve got along very well with Chica, the two of them quickly becoming inseparable buddies. Steve was also very good with the babies, being just as patient as Chica had proven to be. 

Jack and I spent a lot of time running around after the girls and cleaning in preparation for the company. Mark helped too of course, but he was concentrating on getting the dogs settled and driving family to the house from the airport. Jack's parents were even flying in again to visit and staying a little while longer than they had originally planned so they could help out when I was recovering from the surgery. Darrell and Clarissa were flying out with my nephew, Henry, who we would be meeting for the first time since he was born. Henry had just turned two months old and he was a very cute little boy, from the pictures Darrell had sent me and the images Clarissa posted online. Eddie and Ray were coming out to visit as well. Actually, Eddie and Ray were getting ready to move to California over the summer. They were going to move in together and Ray had gotten a job offer that was too good a deal to pass up. It actually stemmed from the visit when they came over when the girls were born. It had just taken some time to get everything arranged and Eddie really didn't want to break up with Ray, so they had decided to take the next step together. I smiled at them, knowing that they were notoriously slow movers, having dated only each other since college, and in the nearly four years of their relationship, we could all see how devoted they were to each other, even if they weren't making any big leaps. I chuckled to myself. I was the one who dove into relationships quickly in my family, but only after I was sure of them, something that amused and astounded my family, because so far I had been right on the nose in every case. Eddie and Darrell were the slow but steady type when it came to romance, both taking years to get settled in with significant others. Clarissa was a really good fit for Darrell, something I had noticed the very first time I had met her, when she and Darrell were in the very beginnings of their relationship. I had gotten the same vibe from Ray with Eddie, realizing before they even started dating how right for each other they were. I didn't tell them that, or push in any way, but it was always nice to know I was right. Ray and Eddie were going to use the time while they were out here visiting to look for an apartment. Ray's new job was here in LA, so they told us they were actually hoping for something fairly close by. Eddie liked being close to family and we were definitely the closest family he had out here. Eddie was also going to start looking for a job. He had hopes of getting something related to his college degree now, in sound design. He had feelers out several places, and I was discretely asking around at work to see if we needed any extra sound crew. There was one potential job coming up, that the woman who had it was leaving because her husband was being transferred, but I didn't want to say anything to Eddie until it was more definite and he was available for an in person interview. I also knew that Vicki was planning on holding the job until he at least had that chance. 

The TV show had really taken off and the demand for the new episodes of season two was high. The writers had completely scripted out the second season over the winter and spring, leaving the actual filming to wait until the end of summer, when Marzia and I would be available again. The directors and producers had all planned this in on purpose after my baby news and then Marzia's. The show had officially started airing in September of last year and followed the usual fall/ spring schedule, so the end of the first season had only air a few weeks earlier. We had a lot of positive press and the fans were extremely loyal and vocal about what they like about it. We had filmed a few weeks of episodes, to give a us a bit of a buffer so the episodes didn't seem rushed, but Marzia wasn't in those, and I only made a few brief appearances. Those episodes would get us through mid-October, and since filming was resuming, barring any complications, right after labor day, we should have some time to get new episodes rolling. By now, most of the kinks in filming had been worked out and everyone was more comfortable with the way things were going to work. My role was still going to be somewhat small until the second half of the season, as were most of the 'new' cast members parts. It was so we could be worked in more naturally. It also gave Marzia and me more time to recover and spend time with our babies. 

The weekend of the fourth was hot and sunny, making it a great weekend to spend at a waterpark, the beach, or poolside, but not so great to spend time outside otherwise. Jack and I agreed we would probably spend most of the weekend inside with the babies, just because neither of us wanted to put on the massive amount of sunscreen we would need to prevent sunburns otherwise, plus we were reluctant to have to put a lot of sunscreen on the girls, risking them ingesting it when they chewed on their hands and arms, something they had taken to doing a lot of since they started teething. Sammi and Steph were also super pale, sharing the very milky white complexion of Jack and I, and Dani and Tiana weren't all that much darker. Since the weather was nice however, we decided the food was going to be grilled, or as much of it as possible, a task I assigned to Eddie, who loved to grill and was quite good at it. He and Ray decided to hang out poolside while they tended the grill. Clarissa and Darrell stayed inside with Jack and I, collectively watching the babies, so if someone needed a break, we would still not be super overwhelmed. Mark was wandering between groups, but kept coming back to spend time with Jack, the girls and I. Over all, the entire weekend, which was really just one long birthday bash for him, was a huge success and we all had an amazing time. Our friends came by almost everyday to hang out and celebrate. We had karaoke, games a plenty, and tons of good food. On Monday, the day before my surgery, I went to work and made sure all three of us had plenty of videos in our queues. We did, but for some reason I was being a nervous nelly. I suspect it was because I felt like everything now was out of my control and I hated it. Also, I had a desire to make sure I was ready for whatever happened the next day. Jack, Mark, and I even had our very first date night alone since the girls were born, the grandparents and visiting family deciding we needed it. We smiled, headed out to a restaurant and movie, which we all slept through, and headed home. The girls and family were all in the guest house and we actually had the house to ourselves for the first time ever. After informing the family we were back and being told to go spend some time together in our house, that they would keep watching the girls until my surgery was over, we decided to just relax. Eddie and Ray were staying at my apartment, which apparently the lease was hard to break, especially since the company still wanted to keep it to use for staff if they needed. Ken and Mary now lived in what used to be Jack's apartment, much to our amusement. We sometimes teased them that they must have liked it so much when they first visited last year they couldn't wait to live there again. I had hopes that if Eddie got the job, he could take over the lease on my apartment, solving all their problems in one swoop. Everyone liked Eddie, even if he did occasionally fanboy when it occurred to him who he was talking to, but he was getting better all the time about it. Darrell and Clarissa were staying in one of the rooms in the guest house, the fifth bedroom, or more correctly the basement suite, which we hadn't even known about when we first moved in discovering it by accident one day, when we moved some boxes of things left by the previous owner. There, tucked behind the boxes, was a door, which lead to the basement, a fully finished suite, including a very nice bathroom, huge bedroom, and a very nice den and kitchenette.

Jack, Mark, and I decide to use the first opportunity we had gotten since the birth of the babies, except for a little time ar conventions, for some quality adult fun time. We were all feeling a lot more relaxed afterward, and Mark leaned over to kiss both of us. "Best late birthday present ever! Actually, this has to be my best birthday yet. Even with missing my dad right now, this has just been an amazing year. I know you're going to power through the surgery tomorrow babe and be back at full strength in no time." 

"I hope you're right Mark. I have a feeling that something is about to change again, and I just hope it's for the better."

Jack smiled at me. "Love, ye will be fine. Ye just relax and rest up. That surgery will be a piece of cake for ye, ye'll see."

We settled in for a night of sleep, after I decided to go pump as much milk as I could for the girls, to last until I was back from my surgery. I knew Jack and Mark thought I was silly to worry, but I couldn't help feeling a creeping sense of dread.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick reminder, the story isn't ending! I will be continuing it, but there will be a brief break for me to catch up on some of my other works and get a few short fictions I have bubbling around in my brain out. The break SHOULD be less than a month, barring health issues. And the tentative title of the next story in the series is **_Behind the Scenes_** it will pick up after a time jump. I _may_ include a bonus chapter/ epilogue to this story as a one shot fiction that would take place between the books, but I haven't decided yet. Any thoughts?
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	69. Surgery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for the surgery on your heart. What could go wrong?

When morning rolled around, Mark drove us in to the hospital so I could get checked in. Jack insisted on sitting next to me in the back seat of Mark's car, snuggling close, trying to calm my nerves. I wasn't doing too badly, nerve-wise. I had realized sometime during the night that I had done absolutely everything I could to stay healthy and make my heart stay strong as best I could. I had also realized stressing was not going to help the situation and whatever was about to happen was in the hands of the doctors, not me. I had been forced to grow up a lot and face the fact that I couldn't do everything or completely control everything during the course of the past two years in particular. I was always going to be a bit of a control freak, but I knew how to let things out of my control roll off me a bit more now too. Before we left, Jack, Mark, and I had gone over and spent a good bit of time snuggling our sleepy daughters, including a morning feeding, burping, changing, and dressing session. The grandmothers watched, amusement on their faces, with concern in their eyes as well. I told them about the extra breast milk in the fridge in the main house kitchen, knowing they might not have gone over there for the rest of the day otherwise, unless the babies needed something not in the portable setups they had. We kissed them all before we left as well, and I tried not to feel like this was a goodbye kiss or anything too final. 

We arrived at the hospital around ten, for my procedure at eleven. I got all checked in and taken to a very nice private room where Mark and Jack settled in for the wait. They had decided to stay all day, only leaving to go get food when they needed it, and had brought cameras, computers, and of course their phones, so they could chat, vlog, tweet, and reply to fans throughout the day. All our fans knew what was going to happen, and I had received a lot of love and support messages, as well as thousands of get well soon messages and tweets. After I was checked in, the hospital made me get changed into a hospital gown, which of course I hated (who doesn't?), lay down, and then they started doing a some blood work and hooked me up to an IV, so they could administer antibiotics, fluids, and anesthesia as needed. I tried not to grumble and be as cooperative as I could, but I really hated IV's, which always pulled, pinched, and were painful for me. Fortunately, this one went in nearly painlessly. Soon I was all prepped and just waiting on the team of doctors to come in, talk to us, and take me off to do the procedure. Jack and Mark had waited until the nurse who was working on me left before they climbed up in the bed beside me and cuddled in close, hugging me tightly, and peppering me with kisses. I smiled at them both, knowing they were trying to calm their own nerves as much, if not more than, mine. I could hear Jack's heart pounding when he leaned in close to kiss my forehead, and hear the tremble in both their voices as they talked to me, trying to reassure me that I would be fine, nothing to worry about. I let them fuss, knowing it was all they could do right now and that they both felt the need to do SOMETHING. Jack looked at me at one point, with tears in his eyes and whispered "Love, ye have ta be strong for us, okay? Yer fans need ye. The babies need ye. Mark needs ye. And I need ye." I nodded and hugged him as close as I could, feeling him fighting to remain composed and upbeat. I kissed him as I held him and tried to wordlessly calm his nerves. He actually had to excuse himself to go pull it together for a few minutes after that. Mark watched him go and looked at me, clearly in nearly the same state. I hugged him close and kissed him too, offering him as much comfort as I could manage, stuck in the bed and attached to an IV. Mark stayed with me cuddling a few minutes longer, before he too had to excuse himself to go try to gather his emotions. I sighed and worried about the state the two men were working themselves into. 

They both came back, dry-eyed, but looking like anything bad would push them too the breaking point immediately. I gave them a smile as they came back in, which they tried to return, but it was shaky at best. I started to gently tease them, hoping to lighten the mood, which was now almost gloomy. "You two big babies. I swear, you get so worked up over the little things. The doctors said before I'll be fine, and I trust they know what they are talking about. Now, the two of you better answer some comments for a while and get calmed down before you try to vlog, or else the fans will think the worst. Trust me." I looked at the door, waiting for the doctors and bit my cheek. I still felt the sense of dread and doom in the air, but I was putting on a brave face, knowing it was completely out of my control and the guys needed the reassurance. I just hoped it was enough. The doctors came in just a few moments later and talked to the three of us.

Dr. MacBrady started. "Well, it's a fine morning. Are ye ready ta get yer heart fixed, good as new?" I smiled at her and nodded. She glanced at the men on the couch, who were huddled together, trying to put on brave faces. "Lads, ye need ta calm down. Yer nerves are understandable, but they don't help ye and they certainly don't help yer lass here. Now, do I need ta prescribe a sedative for tha two of ye, or can ye calm yerselves down on yer own?" They both tried a little harder, but were still clearly upset and worked up. She looked at me and I shook my head at her, indicating she should go on and ignore them for now. "Well, here's what we're going ta do today. First, we take ye down ta the operating room and make a small incision so we can insert tha probe we are going ta use. Then we line everything up and gently stitch tha heart back together. Ye shouldn't need ta be under for more than an hour or two tops, if everything goes as planned. Ye should be back in time for an afternoon snack. Now, we have ta intubate ye before we do tha procedure, so kiss yer laddies and let's get this done so ye can go home to those adorable little babies of yers." She looked back up at Mark and Jack, waving them over to me. I kissed them both, slow and gentle, and gave them both hugs. "Okay, lads ye best wait here. Ye don't look too steady and it's a fair walk ta where we need ta go. Besides, ye would just have ta come right back before ye got even halfway, so stay here and get settled in. We'll be back before ye know it." They sat back down, reluctantly and watched as I was wheeled out. The last glimpse I had of them, they were hugging each other tight as they watched me leave, eyes over-bright but dry for now.

I was wheeled down to a bank of elevators and taken up to the operating room, where I was introduced to an anesthesiologist, who seemed quite nice and who explained what the medicine they were going to use was. I listened without really understanding, but was comforted anyway. He gave me some kind of gas to put me under, so they could intubate me and start the procedure, and counted me down. I was unconscious before I knew what was going on.

My mind floated during the surgery and I wondered at my state, feeling like I should somehow be concerned, or completely unaware, but I retained minimal knowledge of what was going on, at least subconsciously. I knew exactly when things suddenly took a turn for the worse and they had to crack my chest open to save my life. And how close a call it had been. I knew when they were worried because I was having a bad reaction to the anesthetic. I knew when they wheeled me back to the room to recover, hours later than it was supposed to be, Jack and Mark nearly frantic with worry, and they explained the complications to them. I heard everything, but couldn't respond, wondering why, until I heard a different doctor say the words "Due to the unexpected complications and bad reaction to the medication we gave her, she appears to have slipped into a coma. We're not sure when she'll wake up, so please, be patient and help us watch her. She is hooked to monitors and a nurse will be here if any of the machines go off, but we need you to help us watch for changes that might tell us she's waking up. We're not sure what, if anything, she's hearing now, so talking to her might help. It definitely can't hurt. She's strong and we fully expect this to be a very temporary thing. Now, I'll leave you two here with her, unless you have any questions for me? No? Okay. We'll be in to check on her regularly." I heard footsteps receding and felt Jack and Mark move closer, taking my hands and kissing me gently. They started talking quietly, but my concentration was gone and I drifted away again, not hearing what they said.


	70. Where do we go from here?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit different than the others. The viewpoint will be changing between people, so there will be some repetition, but I hope it makes sense when you read it.
> 
> \--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mark's P.O.V.

When the doctors wheeled her in, [y/n] looked pale as a ghost and had massive bandages all over her chest, not at all what we expected. I looked over at Jack, taking his hand in mine. He was trembling softly, so I pulled him closer and we clung to each other for comfort, knowing something was horribly wrong, but not what. All we could do for now was wait and stare helplessly, hopelessly, at the woman we loved. I noticed the little things about her now. How even less than six months after having the girls she looked like she had never been pregnant except for larger breasts. How her hair needed a trim and the dyed streaks were fading again. How her skin was pale as moonstone. She was still breathing, her heart still beating, the IV still pumping medicine into her body. Maybe she was really okay? Maybe we were just over reacting? I glanced at Jack. I could see the anguish on his face, a clear echo of what my heart was telling me. We sat there for an undetermined amount of time, our panic and anxiety slowly climbing as nothing changed 

One of the doctors, a man who had been in several times, but hadn't spoken to any of us before, came into the room. "Gentlemen, there were some complications. The probe we used tangled and ripped at the tear in her heart, so we had to open her chest to remove it and repair the damage, which we did, successfully. That's why she is so bandaged up. She will need a longer recovery than we had initially informed you of. She also had a very severe reaction to the anesthetic that was used, further making the procedure a bit less smooth than we wanted. Also, due to the unexpected complications and bad reaction to the medication we gave her, she appears to have slipped into a coma. We're not sure when she'll wake up, so please, be patient and help us watch her. She is hooked to monitors and a nurse will be here if any of the machines go off, but we need you to help us watch for changes that might tell us she's waking up. We're not sure what, if anything, she's hearing now, so talking to her might help. It definitely can't hurt. She's strong and we fully expect this to be a very temporary thing. Now, I'll leave you two here with her, unless you have any questions for me?" I looked at Jack as I shook my head. I couldn't wrap my brain around what he had just told us. Jack looked like he felt the same. "No? Okay. We'll be in to check on her regularly." Jack leaned into me and we both just clung to each other, to shocked and upset to do anything or say anything in the moment.

After a few more minutes of silence Jack sobbed. I looked at him, tears rolling down my face as well. "Do you think she can hear what's going on?" Jack was crying too hard to answer at the moment, but I was hoping my voice would help calm him down and maybe work a miracle and our beautiful [y/n] would open her eyes, move her fingers, moan, or somehow let us know she was still in there, fighting to hang on. I held Jack close and talked to him. "Sean, we have to be strong. She needs us. The girls need us. She's not dead. Listen to her heart. See her breathing. She's still here with us, she just can't answer. We have to be strong and help her fight. Come on, let's go hold her hands or something. To let her know we're still here and we need her back." My words had the desired calming effect on Jack, galvanizing him enough to get up and go over to her bedside along with me. He laid a hand on her forehead, brushing the hair back from her face gently and kissing her forehead softly. I grasped her hand, tightly, giving it a kiss and an encouraging squeeze. I was sure she was still in there, fighting her way back, but I had no idea why I knew. I just trusted my feelings. I sat down in a chair by her side, watching her for any signs of improvement, not moving much, for several hours. Jack had moved from up by her head to sit on her other side, just holding her other hand gently and occasionally biting his lip or looking away to keep himself from crying. If I cried, I was unaware of it, but I am sure I did. Doctors and nurses came in to check on her vital signs repeatedly. Jack and I occasionally talked, mostly to break the deafening silence and try to get any sort of response. We talked about how much she had changed our lives, how much we loved her, how much the girls needed their momma, our plans for the future, her fans and ours, how we could never recover properly if she died, anything we thought might help her push through. But, after several hours of no response, we were starting to lose hope. Now we were just watch her, waiting for a miracle. If either Jack or I had been religious, now would have been the time we prayed to a higher power. In fact, I'm fairly sure we did, trying any and every deity we could who might be able to help us get her back. 

Around five o'clock Dan came by to check on her and us. When he saw the state we were in he immediately rushed in the room, demanding to know everything. I explained the best I could, as much as I could remember, but it felt like a cloud had taken up residence in my brain, preventing me from accessing the knowledge I needed. I didn't know if it was grief, depression, exhaustion, or despair. Dan brought me in for a hug. I started crying as soon as he did, and he guided me over to the couch, letting me weep for the first time since she had left for the surgery. Jack came over and hugged me, not moving away, even though he was getting very soggy from my tears. When I looked up, finally in control again, I saw he was crying too, just a softer, more gentle expression of deep sorrow. Dan watched us and took a seat next to her side, in the chair I had been sitting in for hours. He leaned close and talked to her, too softly for me to hear, smiling gently. Jack and I were done for a while though, emotionally hollow. Dan turned around to us again. "You guys should call your family. Let them know what's going on. And call your friends, for fuck's sake we want to know these things and you need the support and help to handle this right now. I'm sure [y/n] will pull through, but until she is better, you two are going to have a hell of an uphill battle on your hands. You need backup, so you can sleep, take care of your daughters, and take care of yourselves. Start dialing, dudes. I'll stay here with her."

I swallowed and grabbed my phone from my pocket, looking at it for the first time in hours. I had a few missed calls from Mom, Wade, and Bob. I knew then that Dan was right and stepped out of the room, down the hall to the lobby, and out into what now seemed like an obscenely sunny day. I called Wade first, telling him everything. He listened, not asking me any questions until I finished. "Okay, buddy. We'll be there soon. Just hang in there. You and Jack both. Now, I bet you haven't called your mom yet, have you? Call her next. Do you want me to get ahold of Bob?"

"Yeah, if you don't mind. And I will call Mom next. Thanks Wade."

"Anytime Mark. You're one of my best friends on the planet. Just hang tough for a little while longer. We'll all be there soon." With that he ended the call.

I called Mom and had her get all the whole family together, or maybe I should say all our families together. Once they were there, she put me on speaker and I explained what was going on. The other end was dead silent for several moments then an utter confusion of sounds assaulted me, one I couldn't sort though at all. Mom took me off speaker phone to talk to me, which helped a lot, and when she went into another room, it helped even more. I heard the babies in the background now, so I assumed she must have stepped into the room with them now. "Mark, what can we do to help? Do you want us to come in? Stay here? What will be the best thing for you and Jack right now?"

I swallowed tears back. "I don't know. My gut tells me to have you come and bring the girls, but I don't know if that will help, or if they would even be allowed in. I really have the feeling that [y/n] is fighting and so close to pushing through, but she just can't quite do it by herself. Jack and I held her hand and talked to her all afternoon. Danny's with her now. Jack and I are so stressed and emotionally wrecked, but having the girls here might help us too. I don't know what to do Mom. This is too hard."

Mom made a noise that couldn't identify. "Mark, you and Jack are strong, but I think [y/n] is stronger. She can survive this. Have faith in her and yourselves. I'm going to go see if we can get the grandma brigade to come in with the babies, just for a little while. Did you leave the keys for your van here? It's got all the car seats, so we should take it, if we can."

"Yeah, Mom, I did. They are on the hook by the door. And thanks. We'll see you in a few. Bye." I hung up my phone and felt a little better. I checked the time. I had been on the phone about ten minutes so far. I decided to make one more call before I headed back in.

I dialed Arin and Suzy. They weren't at home, so I called the Grump Office. I got Brian, but had him transfer me to Arin, who was still there. As soon as Arin came on the phone, I spilled my guts and broke down again. Why was this still so hard to talk about? "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Mark? Calm down. We'll be there as soon as we can, everybody, okay, buddy? Are you and Jack alone?"

I sniffled and fought the tears back again. "No. Danny came by and he's sitting with her right now. And our parents are on the way with the babies. And probably Wade and Bob. I just... I had to tell you guys too. You've been there for us all, so much and I felt like you deserved to know. Jack and I are... ...lost. We don't know what to do or say or how to make this better."

"Dude, I don't know if you can. Just hang on. We're here for you buddy and we'll be there before you know it. Have you and Jack eaten all day? Should we bring some food?"

I chuckled. "No, we haven't eaten since breakfast, which was rushed cereal. I don't know if you should though. I don't think I could choke anything down. I really don't know about Jack either. He's a bigger mess than I am right now I think. Listen, I really need to go back in. Thanks for the support. I'll see you soon."

"Mark, you take care of you and Jack right now, okay? We'll be there before you know it. Bye buddy." Arin hung up. I turned my screen off and pressed my phone to my forehead, fighting my emotions and fear. She had to get better. She just had to. I didn't know if I could survive another big loss. After a few minutes of gathering my thoughts, I headed back to the hospital room

 

Jack's P.O.V.

I knew something was wrong from the minute they brought her back into the room. She was bandaged too much and paler than I had ever seen her. I started to tremble from fear and grief as soon as I saw her. Mark looked over at me and immediately took my hand. When he felt my trembling, he pulled me in for a comforting hug, but I suspected it was to comfort himself as well. We just clung to each other, supporting each other, for a long time. We both stared at our beautiful girlfriend, thinking but not speaking. I wondered if Mark was noticing all the little things about her now, like I was. Like how her lips looked chapped. Or her hair was gently falling in her eyes, making me want to get up and brush it away, kissing her forehead, whispering soft words until she woke up. We could both tell something was wrong, but neither of us knew what, or what we could do to help her get better. I watched the machines she was attached to, not sure what to do or think or say. Fear was starting to swamp my mind, making it hard to breathe or think. I saw Mark looking at me several times, and tried to keep the fear and pain from my face as best I could, but I know my efforts were not what they should have been.

A man who had been in several times, one of the doctors, I think, who hadn't spoken to any of us before, came into the room. "Gentlemen, there were some complications. The probe we used tangled and ripped at the tear in her heart, so we had to open her chest to remove it and repair the damage, which we did, successfully. That's why she is so bandaged up. She will need a longer recovery than we had initially informed you of. She also had a very severe reaction to the anesthetic that was used, further making the procedure a bit less smooth than we wanted. Also, due to the unexpected complications and bad reaction to the medication we gave her, she appears to have slipped into a coma. We're not sure when she'll wake up, so please, be patient and help us watch her. She is hooked to monitors and a nurse will be here if any of the machines go off, but we need you to help us watch for changes that might tell us she's waking up. We're not sure what, if anything, she's hearing now, so talking to her might help. It definitely can't hurt. She's strong and we fully expect this to be a very temporary thing. Now, I'll leave you two here with her, unless you have any questions for me?" I shook my head and looked down at my hands, trying to take in the enormity of what we had just been told. My brain had shut down after coma though, and I was fighting to breathe at all now. I couldn't even look at Mark to see his reaction. "No? Okay. We'll be in to check on her regularly." I leaned into Mark and we both just clung to each other, to shocked and upset to do anything or say anything in the moment. His breathing, even as shaky as it was, helped me calm down significantly.

After a few long minutes of just staring at her, I started to sob, uncontrolled anguish overflowing from my chest, spilling tears and pain into Mark's side. Mark looked at me, tears silently sliding down his face as well. Mark asked me something, but I was crying so hard, I'm not sure exactly what he said. After a minute, he leaned over me, kissing my head, which was curled into his chest as I cried. Then he said something that helped me get a little control, at least for the moment. "Sean, we have to be strong. She needs us. The girls need us. She's not dead. Listen to her heart. See her breathing. She's still here with us, she just can't answer. We have to be strong and help her fight. Come on, let's go hold her hands or something. To let her know we're still here and we need her back." I forced myself to think of her, instead of focusing on my own emotions, making myself sit up and stop crying. Mark started to walk over to her, so I went with him, following only a step behind. He sat down in a chair next to her and took her hand, squeezing it tightly and kissing it gently. I stepped up and moved the hair from her face, trying to memorize every detail of her perfect beauty. I leaned over and kissed her forehead, wishing for a miracle, that she would open her eyes and be back with us, here and now, with no long term issues. But this is real life, not a story or movie, so nothing happened. I was slightly soothed by the fact that she wasn't cold to the touch, as dead as she looked right now. She was as warm and soft as ever. It gave me the strength to pull another chair up on her other side and take her other hand in both of mine, leaning in and pressing it to my forehead and kissing it gently before just settling back and holding it between my own. I noticed the little details about her again. How short her nails were from biting them, worried about today. How soft they were and warm, giving me hope that she was still there, somewhere, just a little lost. As I sat there, lost in thought, I failed to notice the passage of time other than to occasionally look up to see Mark with tears running down his face, crying without seeming to know it. I had to look away from [y/n] myself several times to keep the tears at bay and my lip was getting chapped from biting it repeatedly. I noticed the doctors and nurses who came in to check on her vital signs repeatedly. Mark and I occasionally spoke, either to her or each other, mostly to break the deafening silence and try to get any sort of response. We talked about how much she had changed our lives, how much we loved her, how much the girls needed their momma, our plans for the future, her fans and ours, how we could never recover properly if she died, anything we thought might help her push through. But, after several hours of no response, we were starting to lose hope. Now we were just watch her, waiting for a miracle. If I had been a religious man, I would have prayed to any god listening to help us, but I didn't even have faith to fall back on. 

When Danny came in, I was shocked to see it was after five PM. He peeked in the room, saw us and immediately rushed in demanding to know what the hell was going on. Mark explained it, but I was too choked up to pay attention to what he said. She had been unconscious for over six hours now, between one thing and another. Danny hugged Mark, making Mark completely break down, for the first time all day. I couldn't stand to see it. It was breaking my heart, so I rushed over as fast as I could and wrapped Mark in a tight embrace. Mark turned and leaned into my shoulder, crying hard. It took him quite some time to gain any composure and I started crying softly as well, feeling despair and sorrow taking over. I fought the true despair down, just letting the sorrow through. I could deal with sadness. Dan watched us and took a seat next to her side, in the chair Mark had been sitting in for hours. He leaned close and talked to her, too softly for me to hear, smiling gently. Mark and I were done for a while though, emotionally wrecked. Dan turned around to us again. "You guys should call your family. Let them know what's going on. And call your friends, for fuck's sake we want to know these things and you need the support and help to handle this right now. I'm sure [y/n] will pull through, but until she is better, you two are going to have a hell of an uphill battle on your hands. You need backup, so you can sleep, take care of your daughters, and take care of yourselves. Start dialing, dudes. I'll stay here with her."

Mark almost immediately got up and walked out, phone in hand. I looked at [y/n] again and wavered slightly. Dan looked at me again. "Go on dude. Go call Felix. And Ken. And Bob. I think Mark will tell your families, but you need to talk to someone too. She'll still be here when you get back, I swear." I nodded and stepped out to the lobby, unable to face the world outside just yet. I sat down in a chair and pulled my phone from my pocket. I decided to call Bob first.

He picked up immediately. "Hey buddy, how did it go? Is [y/n] back to her usual superhuman self?" He chuckled slightly at his own joke, until I told him what was going on. "Holy shit Jack! That sucks. Are you and Mark okay? Wait, nevermind. How could either of you be okay? Listen, let me go talk to Wade and Mandy. We're going to head in to see all of you as soon as we can get this figured out okay? Try to stay strong. And thanks for calling me."

I smiled sadly at the phone as he hung up to go find Wade. Then I dialed Felix's number. "Hey bro, how's it going?" I took a shuddering deep breath. Felix immediately knew something was wrong. "Jack? Are you alright? What happened?"

"It's not me. It's [y/n]. She slipped into a coma after tha surgery from a combination of issues. Felix, it's bad. Oh, god it's bad." I had started to cry again, softly. "What are we going ta do if she doesn't come back ta us? How can we hope ta handle everything? She's what hold Mark and I together most days and she's so strong. I feel like I need ta cry for a year, but I know it won't help her. Tha worst part of all this shit is how hopeless I feel."

"Easy bro. Marzia and I will be there for you no matter what happens. In fact, we're on the way now. What room is she in?"

"214. And thanks. I'm sorry I'm so emotional. I just can't seem ta stop crying."

"Jack, seriously, that's probably a normal healthy reaction. You need to let it out. Now, just hang on. We'll be there in fifteen minutes or less. Bye." As he hung up, I heard him calling to Marzia. I thanked whatever mystery force had brought Felix and all the amazing people I had found from YouTube into my life. I doubted whether anyone could have handled something like this alone, and I was just glad not to have to try. I glanced at the time on my phone. Only about five minutes had passed. I called Ken next.

When he picked up and greeted me, I said a quick hello and explained what was going on. He told me he was already out the door and shooing Mary along with him. He promised to be here as fast as he could, making me feel a little better. When he got to his car and got in, he told me he had to say goodbye so he could drive and I hung up, heading back to the room where [y/n] was laying, fighting for her life. Deep depression was trying to roll over me, but I was fighting it hard, knowing it wouldn't help anyone. 

 

Dan's P.O.V.

I had been worrying all day about [y/n]'s surgery. Arin gave me crap about how distracted I was, but not too much because I knew he was worried too. At four thirty I gave up on getting anything else done for the day and headed out to my car. I decided to stop in and check on Mark, Jack, and [y/n] and see if they needed anything before I went home. I figured it would help ease my mind. I was wrong. I asked the nurse at the desk what room my friends were in and headed up, peeking in as soon as I got close. What I saw nearly stopped my heart. Mark and Jack, looking like they were losing their minds and [y/n] laying, completely unmoving. It looked like it was more than just her being asleep, so I rushed in and demanded to know what was going on. Mark tried to explain, but he was so out of it and confused, I could only get the basics. But it was enough. She was in a coma from a combination of bad events. The doctors were cautiously optimistic, but staring at her all day had sucked the life ans out out of both men. Mark looked lost, so I pulled him into a hug. That made him completely melt down, so I guided him over to the couch, slightly awkwardly, but concerned. Jack saw what was going on and rushed over, hugging Mark close. It helped Mark, even if Jack cried a little himself. I had a suspicious that they had been crying like this all day and needed to go take a few minutes to themselves, so I stood up and walked over to the bed, sitting down on one of the chairs. I turned to [y/n] and told her softly "Hey. I really hope you can hear me. I'm going to try to get your two boyfriends to take a break, but I'll be right here with you, so don't worry. Now, let's see if I can find a way to convince them to get some air." I smiled at her and squeezed her hand. Then I turned back to the two men on the couch. I watched them for a few minutes until Mark had calmed down a bit. "You guys should call your family. Let them know what's going on. And call your friends, for fuck's sake we want to know these things and you need the support and help to handle this right now. I'm sure [y/n] will pull through, but until she is better, you two are going to have a hell of an uphill battle on your hands. You need backup, so you can sleep, take care of your daughters, and take care of yourselves. Start dialing, dudes. I'll stay here with her." Mark immediately got up and left, checking his phone as he walked past. Jack started to leave, but ended up back by her side, holding her other hand. "Go on dude. Go call Felix. And Ken. And Bob. I think Mark will tell your families, but you need to talk to someone too. She'll still be here when you get back, I swear." He nodded reluctantly and headed out the door. I sighed and rested my face on the blanket by her side, feeling overwhelmed, but knowing it was about a million times worse for my friends. 

One of the doctors came in and smiled when he saw someone new at her side. "Oh good. We were afraid those two were going to break. We need them whole and healthy to help our charming patient to recover when she wakes up. Are you a friend?"

I nodded and looked at her, an idea forming in my head. "Hey doc, would hearing familiar noises help her out of this coma?"

The doctor chuckled. "Probably. It definitely can't hurt. Now, excuse me, I have other patients to attend to. We are just monitoring her vitals right now. But she seems strong, so we are confident she'll wake up soon."

I nodded. "Thanks doc." I slipped her phone off the bedside table and brought up her YouTube app, smiling when I saw exactly what I wanted. I grabbed a pair of earbuds out of my pocket and slipped them in the headphone jack, sliding them in her ears after I checked the volume. I selected Jack's Happy Wheels playlist, starting at a random episode partway down the list and sat back to see if my idea would work. At first nothing happened, but I wasn't discouraged. I just kept watching until Jack came back in, looking shaky, but better than he had only a few minutes ago. "Did you make your calls?"

Jack nodded. "Yeah. Everyone is on their way in. What are ye doing?"

I chuckled. "I thought maybe if I played some of your old videos for her, she might come back quicker. I picked your Happy Wheels videos because you have so much energy in them. You and Mark aren't exactly up to your usual levels of loud, exuberant behavior, so I thought hearing it might work better than just hearing your subdued tones and silence. And, listen dude, I'm not blaming you at all. I am struggling here too and I can only imagine how much worse it is for the two of you."

Jack looked at me. "Thanks Dan. Ye're a good friend." We both looked back at [y/n], holding her hands, watching her closely. at first, I wasn't sure, but after a few minutes, I realized her facial expression had changed slightly. She was smiling softly, barely noticeably. 

I grinned over to Jack and saw Mark coming in. "Look, she's smiling! I think it's helping!" I jumped up, fist pumping the air and danced around a little. Jack and Mark were both staring at her intently and Mark rushed over to sit by her side, taking her hand again. I didn't care, taking a seat on the couch and watching her smile grow slightly larger by the minute. 

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I started to come back into awareness slowly, surrounded by Jack's loud, happy voice. He was shouting at something. He sounded like he was practically bouncing with energy. It made me smile. It was slow at first, but I could feel the smile actually spreading across my face as I became more and more aware of what was going on around me. I realized both Mark and jack were holding my hands. I knew I had heard other voices recently as well, and I thought one of them belonged to Dan, but I wasn't sure. But now, all I heard was Jack. It took me a few minutes to realize it was one of his old Happy wheels videos. I didn't honestly care. It was something real, something clear, something I could focus all my attention on and drag myself out of what felt like deep waters in my head. After I realized I was smiling, I tried to very carefully squeeze the hands that were holding mine. I hurt all over, so I didn't want to strain anything, but I wanted them to know I was trying to come back as quickly as I could. I felt a return pressure on my left hand first. Someone had realized after all! A few seconds later, I heard Jack's yell, even over the video in my ears. He must have been the one whose hand had squeezed me back. I heard him yelling for the doctor. I tried squeezing my right hand a little tighter and felt the response of Mark, a tight, reassuring squeeze back and a kiss on my cheek. After a few more minutes, I was able to force my eyes open, looking up to see Dan, Mark, Jack, Felix, and Marzia all looking back at me. They were grinning hugely. Dan reached down and gently took the earbuds out of my ears and stopped the video. "You're back! It worked! I knew it would. I'm a genius." 

I was confused by Dan's words, but didn't know how to tell anyone. I still couldn't move and could feel something still in my throat, which made me panic for a few seconds. The doctor who was standing beside the bed, recording my vital signs, reached over and gently removed the tube, chuckling. "Easy, there Miss. You've had quite the day. We weren't sure you were going to be rejoining us, especially not so fast. Now, we had a tube down your throat to help you breath during the surgery, but you have been breathing on your own, around the tube, all afternoon. We were just a little reluctant to remove the tube until we knew you were waking back up. Now, I'm going to go, but listen, you need to rest and take it easy. We'll be back in to talk to you soon. Stay calm and relaxed until then." She stepped out of the room a few seconds later. 

Jack and Mark were crying, tears of joy at seeing me awake, I think. Felix and Marzia were smiling broadly. Dan, who had put the earbuds back in his pocket was grinning at me. I swallowed and cleared my throat, feeling extremely thirsty. Jack was by my side like a shot. "Love? Do ye need something?"

I tried to speak and found I actually could without much difficulty. "Something to drink, please. I'm sorry to worry you guys so much. I know this can't have been a good day."

Mark reached down to squeeze my hand again. "Babe, it's turning into a wonderful day." He smiled at me and I smiled back, as best I could. Jack had rushed out to get me a drink. A nurse came back in with him, carrying a large cup of juice with a straw. She helped raise the bed up so I could drink without choking and see the room a little better before she slipped back out. Jack held the cup up for me while I drank some. As soon as I finished, he set it down. I started to turn to thank him, when I saw something on Marzia's face. A look I recognized. 

"Marzia, are you alright?" I heard Felix asking her, as he took her hand. I waited counting silently for a few seconds. Yep, that was a contraction. I could tell when it was over by the way she responded, a nod and look of pain and confusion bordering on panic. 

I turned to thank Jack now, mentally counting. Five minutes passed, mostly silently when I heard Marzia gasp again. I looked at Felix now, who looked confused and scared. I chuckled weakly. "Wow, you guys have interesting timing. I mean, thank you for waiting to go into labor for me to be awake, I guess." All eyes in the room now went back and forth between Marzia and I, except our own of course, and Marzia had a sudden look of realization. She stood up and started to walk over to me when her water broke. "See, I told you. Now, aren't you glad you're already in a hospital? Felix, you really should go get a nurse, wheelchair, and call her doctor. It looks like your baby will be here sooner rather than later." Felix looked panicked and ran out the door, narrowly missing the frame. He was back a minute later, only this time he did run squarely into the frame, knocking himself out. The nurse wheeled the chair in and made Marzia get in before checking on him. She called for a gurney to take him to be checked as well. Jack and Mark watched wide eyed. Before long more people started showing up. Soon the room was full of people all relieved to see me awake. When the girls arrived I cried a little, I was so happy to see them, but I was still too weak to hold them. 

After a little while, a group of doctors came in and talked to us, explaining more about what had happened and how my recovery should go. It was going to take longer than initial thought, mostly because of having to crack my ribs open, and I was restricted to bed rest for a month. I frowned, feeling grumpy. The doctor either didn't see or didn't care and continued to explain my recovery. I protested when they told me I couldn't hold the babies for two weeks and no breast feeding or pumping during that time either. Mark and Jack had hands resting on my shoulders, and squeezed gently, trying to comfort me. After they finished, they looked over my chart one final time and turned to me, telling me I was very, very lucky. Things could have been much worse.

I agreed wholeheartedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, that wraps up this part of the story. Anyone interested in a one shot to update the story BEFORE the next book/ story starts? Let me know in the comments (Oh, who am I kidding, I know you all will...)
> 
> So, anyway, thanks for reading, I hoped you liked it. XD Did I keep the suspense levels high enough? I'll be back soon to this series, but I am taking a break to do a few things; (1) get some more chapters written on my other stories, (2) take a short break and work on my digital artwork, (3) maybe write a few chapters ahead, instead of writing and releasing on the same day, and (4)catch up on my long neglected readings, YouTube, and pen-pal writing. I'll be around and I check Tumblr (queengeekrose) if anyone has any suggestions for the next part of the story, or even just needs to vent their emotions at me. Bye for now...

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea how long this will be. 
> 
> Septiplier AWAY! :)
> 
> I hope everyone enjoys this. Have a fab day!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Plot Bunnies and Story Starts](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11460387) by [QueenGeekRose](https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenGeekRose/pseuds/QueenGeekRose)




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